Seth's Blog : Peer support

Peer support

Treasure it when you find it. Offer it when you can.

One of the greatest joys of being an author is the other authors. The game theory would indicate that authors are competitors–there are a scarce number of publishers, of bookshelf slots, of readers. But, being the only author in the world wouldn’t just be lonely, it wouldn’t work very well. Books actually sell best next to other books, not in the supermarket.

But more than that, peer support comes when people are part of something bigger than themselves. When they see their work as a craft, and a chance to turn on a light or raise a standard.

In every field, our best work can feel lonely, because we don’t have a guarantee, a map to follow or a crowd of people sure that it’s going to work. That’s when peer support means the most. And when it contributes to the evolution and forward motion of a field.

“Peer” is a job title, and it’s earned. One way to earn it is by finding the others, connecting them and leading them. We spend our lives looking for peers to accept us, but in fact, we have the chance to establish the foundation for our peers to find each other.

While most people say that when they’re a stranger in a room, they’d like to be warmly greeted, it’s also true that we hesitate to be the greeter when a new voice arrives. That’s a natural instinct, and worth pushing back against.

Organizing your peers feels awkward. Who are you to invite three or four others to a weekly mastermind check in? Who are you to speak up about a new idea that isn’t obvious or easily defended (yet?). Well, if not you, who?

Thank you Steve, for the shout out, and more than that, for decades for showing us how it’s done.