E 5.8 - What We Learned: Knowing When and How to Move On as an Ecosystem Builder

Ecosystems For Change

Over the course of this season, quitting became a constant topic in my life.

One of my team members quit to take on a new role closer to home. A new friend talked to me about quitting her job to spend more time enjoying her family and less time worrying about making it all fit in her schedule. A partner quit because he had done what he came to do and was ready to move on to something else.

With the perspective I’ve gained through the Quitter conversations in season 5, I was able to view these Quits within my sphere as something rich and endlessly fascinating.

When I started out with this season, I referred to The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. InThe Infinite Game, players stop playing for two reasons:

1. They lack the external resources to keep playing, such as the remuneration or the job to build an ecosystem, or
2. Their internal resources - such as will and motivation - are depleted causing them to step out.

With each conversation in this season, I was trying to sort my guest into one of these two boxes only to be reminded that people can’t be sorted into boxes. I found instead that quitting a purpose-driven role is much more complex than that.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How a lack of internal and external resources leads changemakers to quit
• How this season’s quitters found new ways to build ecosystems
• The importance of how you leave - for yourself and your ecosystem
• The relationship of the long-term work of ecosystem building and the modern realities of shifting careers and roles

Learn More About Anika Horn:

• Website: www.socialventurers.com
• Instagram: SocialVenturers
• Newsletter: Sign up for Impact Curator

Resources:

• The Infinite Game, Simon Sinek
• S04E06: Investing in the Lives of Founders with Todd Nuckols
• S02E05 – Thriving In a World of Ambiguity, Uncertainty, and Constant Change with April Rinne