Other People Can Open Up Opportunities in Our Lives & Work | #MaverickNotOutsider – Social Capital Series

7 MINUTE READ

So far in previous articles on #MaverickNotOutsider,++ we have focused on the experience of feeling like an Outsider and how that can be a good thing if we can reframe ourselves as Maverick Thinkers. According to Author Across Cultures, Yang-May Ooi, being a Maverick Thinker means we bring fresh perspectives and unexpected ideas that can create positive change at our workplace or in our communities. It can feel more empowering as a Maverick Thinker also because this reframing gives us agency and purpose rather than feeling like we need to be accepted by the group that we are Outside of. But ideas alone rarely change society. What else then is needed?

In order to create change, a Maverick Thinker needs to bring people with them. It’s no point having all these great ideas and new ways of doing things if those around you don’t care to hear them let alone act on them. Without other people, your Maverick brilliance fades away and you’re most likely back to feeling like an Outsider…

Mavericks Need Other People

Influence requires relationships because ideas spread through connection and trust. We need someone who listens and who can introduce us and our ideas to others. Our ideas go live when people support them and when someone decides to take a chance.  

So how can we make the most of our Maverick nature and make sure our unique way of looking at things is heard and taken seriously by those around us?

It may sound like a bit of a contradiction, but I think that in order to be a Maverick we also have to Belong. 

We need to be able to connect in a real way with the people around us, to build friendships and good working relationships. We need the authenticity that builds trust and we need fluency to express our ideas in ways that others can not just understand but get excited about. 

In order to create change, a Maverick needs Social Capital. 

Social Capital is the Secret Sauce

Social Capital amplifies your idea. The most influential Mavericks are those who learn to build bridges without surrendering our independent thinking. We are the ones who can work within an organisation or community while remaining true to our perspective. 

So what is Social Capital? Well, Social Capital is our network of social connections that goes across horizontally among our peers and social equals – and also vertically to those who might be considered more powerful/ influential than we might be and also to those who might be less so. 

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At its core will be our friends, family and colleagues. Beyond that, it will include loose connections like friends of friends, someone we met once at party and clicked with, someone we could get an introduction to via a business or social colleague. These are people who might be willing to help us in some way or other – and that we in turn would be happy to help. 

Examples of Social Capital 

Let’s say in your place of work, your Maverick perspective might lead you to  see a flaw in the standard way things have always been done. If you went to the management with this straight away offering your solution, your legitimate concerns might not be taken seriously especially if you are seen as someone who has not fitted in – and worse, you may be seen as confrontational or a trouble-maker. But if you have built relationships with those senior to you, colleagues, customers, and other executives, your voice is more likely to be heard and your opinion recognised through this social capital. It’s like having TrustPilot reviews – the more you have, the more you are respected. Beyond that, if your good relations with a wide range of people in the organisation means that you can enlist them to your perspective, by the time you take this issue to senior management, you will have supporting voices to help you argue your case.

Or you might be a junior scientist with an idea for a research direction that contradicts the current thinking in your field. Initially, colleagues might dismiss it. But then you are able to put your work in front of a a highly respected senior scientist – and she supports your thinking. That senior scientist lends legitimacy to your innovative thinking and soon those who had been naysayers will take another look at what you are doing with a greater readiness to take your work seriously. it is human nature that people are more likely to consider an idea because someone they already respect and trust endorses it.

Or you are a budding entrepreneur of a small startup with little money and no powerful organizational position. But what you do have is a lot of people you know in different sectors that are potentially related to your innovation. Through these relationships, you are more likely to gain introductions to engineers, investors, customers, suppliers, and advisors. This bypasses formal tender processes or trying to shoehorn your idea into grant funding applications. You are more likely to accomplish more than through formal business infrastructure processes. 

Social Capital in My Life

In upcoming posts, I will share some examples of how Social Capital has opened up opportunities for my corporate career and also my creative projects which would never have happened if I had waited around for the right job listing or career vacancy to come along. 

But for now, to round off this article, I want to acknowledge that it can be difficult building up Social Capital as an Outsider – whether we are migrants to a new country or have moved to a new city for whatever reason or we happen to be shy or introverted or find fitting in already challenging. 

If you recognise yourself in that description, you are not alone. 

I also experienced difficulties making lasting friends and connections as an immigrant to the UK, starting life in two new cities. It was compounded also by my being a shy introvert who still finds fitting in a challenge! I will be writing about those difficulties as part of this series on Social Capital – and sharing practical tips from my own life of how I was able to build friendships and life-affirming connections, which I hope will be useful for anyone who needs a bit of inspiration for “investing” in your Social Capital.

What About You?

If you have stories of how Social Capital in your own life has helped you, or how you built Social Capital, I’d love to hear about your experience. Or if you have faced challenges around making connections and building up a social network in your life and work, please also do share your story – it helps all of us to know that we are not alone in the challenges we face. Please do add your comments below. 

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⁺⁺ About #MaverickNotOutsider

This story was first published as part of Maverick Thinking: The Gift of Difference on Substack.

Difference is the Flipside of Belonging. By leaning into our Difference, we can find value that enriches our sense of Belonging. By re-imagining Outsiders as Mavericks, we can turn Difference into a Superpower – and unleash creativity, agency and empowerment in ourselves and others.

I will be cross-posting some of stories on Maverick Thinking here, especially those stories that may build on our discussions here on the theme of Belonging. Look out for these bonus stories under the playful hashtag #MaverickNotOutsider.

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Photo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-carrying-a-woman-on-shoulders-while-dribbling-a-ball-8693706/

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