“I joined Orr Fellowship for the community.” I first heard this sentiment at our class’s NOFO (New Orr Fellow) Welcome Weekend in April of 2022. Active fellows beamed as they recounted Orr experiences, adventures of Indy life, and building both close friendships and meaningful connections.
I recall thinking, “I don’t know what’s ahead, but I know I can do anything alongside people who believe in one another.”
Belief is a builder. It’s open. It’s trusting. It’s compounding. It offers hope and cultivates community.
I am inspired by several fellow fellows who have shown their belief in one another.
- It’s Madeline McHugh’s unwavering commitment to connecting Orr Fellows with the brightest minds in Indianapolis.
- It’s Ty Tjoelker’s energy and excitement to catch up with EVERYONE at an Orr event.
- It’s Josie Pipkin’s push for making people feel seen and supported on a systemic level.
- It’s Nathan Carnes’ inviting humor matched with his infectious laugh that you can’t help but love.
- It’s Jean-Marc Duong’s consistency in showing up to each Orr opportunity and then some — never failing to help another fellow in a pinch like jumping a car or picking them up at the airport.
- It’s Hunter Beale’s enthusiasm for ALL the business ideas and his willingness to connect any fellow to the right mentor.
- It’s Lauren Kenny’s invitation to enjoy life in Indy, plugging event after event, and encouraging us to look for needs beyond ourselves and be community-minded.
These examples embody the kindling of community – sparking trust through sincerity, reliability, competence, and care. Those are the key drivers of trust according to Charles Feltman, author of “The Thin Book of Trust” and executive coach to the highest performing teams worldwide.
Trust is also a choice. Feltman coined my favorite definition of the term, “Choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person’s actions.”
In a professional sense, this can look like pitching an idea, speaking up, or introducing yourself to another leader in your industry. Though, I believe this ultimately looks like leaning into our shared humanity. Showing interest in others, being honest about what you do and don’t know, reaching out for help, offering genuine support, and bravely bringing your full self into a space. A mentor summarized this idea well by saying, “You have to put yourself in positions that let serendipity happen to you.”
This period of our lives and early careers is hard, and we can easily feel pressured to do the opposite – pretend we know more, say “we’re fine” when we may be struggling, or even limit our number of questions to avoid perceptions of incompetence or prying. In these moments I’m reminded of the saying, “If you have a question, ask, because someone else is likely wondering too.”
We are not alone in the struggles and joys of our early career life or our twenties. Orr Fellowship proves that we are surrounded by people who may be experiencing similar life events, achievements, failures, or needs. In these spaces, we get to bravely create community through the foundations of belief and trust in one another.
That is magic. Through Orr, we’ve been given the gift of building community with a specific cohort for two years.
I’m struck reflecting on the fact that we’ll never get to experience life with 100% of the same people in the same way again.
Knowing this, I’m encouraged by the opportunity in front of us to transfer our learnings and experiences from Orr Fellowship to proactively build community in the next space we enter.
With belief and trust as our builders, we can add on a simple ingredient – shared purpose.
Priya Parker, an expert in community cultivation, provides simple steps for creating lasting, substantive connections. Uniting people for a purpose drives her work.
Parker says that strengthening community through meaningful gatherings requires us to take the following actions:
- Address a Need
Show curiosity and dig into the needs of your community. Once you understand this, you identify the purpose that unites others.
Ex: Transitioning out of Orr Fellowship creates feelings of uncertainty for what’s next. I see a need for advice sharing, validating the difficulty of transition, and offering clarity for the future.
- Get Specific
Identify the criteria or “rules” that directly tie to your purpose and need-based goal. This will clarify for you and your peers what the space is for and how to show up.
Ex: Create an event in which only Class of 2022 Orr Fellows and Orr Alumni can participate.
- Be Playful
Institute practices that reinforce the community you’ve set out to create. Each of these practices serves as your culture-bearers that bring your purpose to life.
Ex: Before the event, Class of 2022 fellows answer a questionnaire about their life and career aspirations and are secretly matched with an alumni who has achieved similar goals. Upon entering the event, fellows and alumni receive clues on who their respective fellow/alumni match is. Their task to talk with as many people as possible to find their aspiration match. Fellows and alumni have 3 chances to “bet” who their match is.
- Tend to Your Environment
Set up the physical space you’re in so that it supports the playful spirit and specific criteria of your purpose-driven gathering.
Ex: Event space with room for mingling, quality hor d’oevres, specific attire, lighting, theme to go along with betting or matching concept.
With Orr Fellowship, we’ve experienced the benefits of a strong community. Now, we can recreate its impact with these simple steps.
- Believe fiercely in those around you
- Choose to trust by pursuing life openly and unguardedly
- Cultivate purpose-driven spaces for people to gather
Orr Fellows have always found a way to become industry leaders, changemakers, and community builders. Ending this chapter opens up our chance to turn our future goals into reality now – and it begins with tending to the people around us first. I’m grateful to Orr Fellowship and my fellow Class of 2022 fellows for all you’ve taught me and the experiences we’ve grown through together.
“To go fast, go alone. To go far, go together” (West African Proverb)
Written by Claire Baney, Class of 2022.
