One great place to start is with something called Shine Theory.

Shine Theory was developed by best friends and podcast co-hosts, Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow. The theory stems from the principle that if you invest in a core group of people, and they invest in you in return, everybody wins. Shine Theory is about collaborating, not competing. It means changing your thinking from “I need to outshine you” to “I don’t shine if you don’t shine” or “Together, we can shine even brighter”.  

How it works

Shine Theory is about investing in others. It is about helping others share their stories.

Suppose one of your professional contacts approaches you with a problem, and while you don’t think that you can help her, you know just the person who can. Tell her story!

Shine Theory isn’t networking or simply passing out referrals. It is about forging connections. It is real intentional emotional investment, primarily with a core group of people because of the amount of time and effort required to implement it effectively.

Take a little time to think about who is in your professional circle. Who can you invest in? Who can you be a mentor to? Explain that you’d like to nominate them, do something that makes their world better. With that single action, you’ve opened the door to building a relationship –by being valuable—and you’ve made the world a better place by helping her to tell her story to others that can benefit from it.

To do this, you need to have enough confidence in yourself to be able to promote others. I know that that can be hard. The feeling that we need to compete is ingrained, even if we’re not aware of it. But the great thing about Shine Theory is that by investing in others, you will grow your own confidence. We all know that you won’t get your moment in the spotlight because you scream and shout for attention. But when you shine the light on others, some of it can’t help but reflect back onto you. When we implement Shine Theory, we lift each other up, and we ALL go further.

 Do you want to make a difference to the people around you? Invest in them. Shine a little light on them. It’s one way that you can make the world a better place, starting today.