We all ask for help with our careers. Sometimes it’s informal - maybe we vent to a friend over coffee & get their opinions. Often, it’s more intentional. We reach out to a mentor, a manager, or a family member with specific questions. Some of us even take the bold step of talking with a helping professional.

Here’s the catch: we choose who to talk to.

We think about our allies. We talk to people in our networks and in our neighborhoods. We rely on what’s close & familiar.

But how do we get outside our wheelhouses? How do we get beyond our echo chambers? 

If you’ve been following our #StoryListening Tuesday adventures lately, you know that we’ve been playing our Who You Are Matters! game in unexpected places.

What about playing it in unexpected ways? 

The game already has peer-to-peer feedback built in. People share stories about their careers & lives. Stories about what they really want, and about the influence of other people in their day-to-day. 

Then, there is a round of gratitude and validation after each story that’s shared. This group dynamic is impactful, and builds empathy and story-listening skills in each player.

Next, players share a possibility they’re committed to exploring. Normally, there’s a last round of feedback where each player can provide ideas, avenues to explore and validation. 

Lately, we’ve been kicking it up a notch. We bring all the tables together at an event, and we ask the entire room for ideas on a few player possibilities.

We’re calling it ‘vision fusion’.

We ask the group to help fuse our paths with diverse visions and ideas. 

Let’s say your possibility is to explore green jobs. We ask the room: who knows anything about eco-conscious careers? Who knows someone doing this type of work? This way, players get feedback not just from their fellow players at their table, but from a wider, more diverse crowd. 

The conversations and the hum of energy that’s created as people get their possibilities crowdsourced is awesome.

How do you encourage your clients to explore outside their typical boundaries and networks?

How do you set them up with the right tools and safe spaces to ask for help from strangers?

Have you ever crowdsourced your own career?

Please share your stories with us in the comments.