If You Have Access, You Have Something to Give

You may not think you have power. But if you have access, you have something someone else needs.

Access does not always mean money, authority, or a seat at the head of the table. Sometimes it is an introduction, a skill you can teach, a resource you can share, or a moment when you invite someone into a room where they can grow.

A recent conversation about women, mentorship, and opportunity stayed with me. I kept thinking about how much can change when someone who has learned the way forward chooses to reach back and make the path a little clearer for another person.

I have been thinking about that in my own leadership life. I have watched Jessica move from regional management into the Director of Operations role, Priscilla move from recruiting into marketing, and Ana take the step from property management into regional leadership. Their new roles reflect their own work and strengths. They also remind me that leaders can help create room for people to use those strengths in new ways.

Opening a door is not doing the work for someone. It is noticing potential, making an opportunity visible, sharing what you have learned, and then trusting someone to take the next step. It means offering support without taking away another person’s ownership of her growth.

Sometimes reaching back looks like:

• Making an introduction that helps someone get a conversation started.
• Sharing a skill, resource, or lesson you had to learn the hard way.
• Inviting someone into a meeting or project where she can contribute and learn.
• Giving credit clearly and specifically when someone has done good work.
• Offering encouragement while leaving the next move in her hands.

You do not have to have everything figured out to help someone else. You may have one connection, one useful piece of knowledge, or one chance to say, “You should be in this conversation.” Small acts of access can shorten someone else’s road.

That is the heart of my “Make Room, Then Reach Back” belief. We grow, and then we use what we have learned to make room for someone else. Not because we are responsible for carrying them, but because we remember what it meant when someone opened a door for us.

So here is the question I am carrying with me: What do you already have access to that could shorten someone else’s road?

Make room. Then reach back.

About Faith Based Fitness Bus
I serve on the advisory board of Faith Based Fitness Bus. Faith is a mobile gym offering donation-based workouts and, through community partners, free fitness camps for women and children affected by trafficking, abuse, or abandonment. If you would like to learn more or support the work, you can donate here.