Is there Community in business?
Large cities and their business communities around the world are renowned for being cold, fast, power and money hungry. Be it London, New York, Singapore or Sydney, they are all pretty much laser focused on the needs of the individual. It’s reflected in business everyday, the attitude of “screw you” is prevalent, rather than a collective win where all parties gain.
The participants of this game think the right way to win is at all costs. Those who have had a few more years on the planet than the latest bunch of young pups start to see things differently, from late 30s onwards. To be fair not everyone ever grows up.
I recently decided to move from Australia’s business capital to its nations capital, Canberra. I put an announcement on Linkedin that simply stated “Moving to Canberra, actively seeking new opportunities”. Within two days I had messages from people in the greater circle of connections, making offers of help and to make introductions.
I know if I had been moving to Sydney from Canberra there would have been no messages of support from strangers. Reflecting on this I began to realise that Canberra has a sense of community and pride where Sydney is basically just a large city, cold and unfeeling.
Now that I am in Canberra and had those initial meetings, leading to introductions, I will be forever grateful for the help and support I have been shown from the business community in Canberra.
If you have similar experiences I invite you to share them with me and others.