Find Your Tribe – Like George from It’s a Wonderful Life

On my flight back home from Germany, I watched “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring Jimmy Stewart. It’s the ultimate feel-good movie, perfect for anyone who’s ever wondered if their life holds meaning. It was just what I needed.

Here’s the lowdown: George Bailey, played by Stewart, is on the verge of collapse. His small company is on the verge of bankruptcy. George decides his family and business would be better off without him. On the brink of suicide, he’s saved by a fledgling angel, Clarence.

The angel shows George what his life would be like if he’d never existed. By seeing all the people he’s touched, George realizes that he has created a strong network of love and support – he’s created a tribe. And it’s this tribe that pulls together at the end of the movie to give back to George, helping him out.

The lesson to me was that your tribe can, quite literally, save your life. You should be building not only a viable business, but a community – one that supports and cares for each other. If you’re just out to make a buck, don’t be surprised if no one lend you a helping hand when things go bad. And they will go bad.

But if you have friends like George’s, you’ll have a whole team of folks on your side. But one thing to remember: George had friends he’d created just by being a good guy, doing the right thing at the right time, not worrying about what was in it for him. He stood up for what was right and shook hand after hand, even when it cost him personally. In the current world of technology, automating Twitter feeds, spam and networking for the sake of networking, it was good for me to be reminded of connecting the old fashioned way: By caring.

Some business techniques never go out of style.

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