Listening, Learning, Community

I thought a lot about what I would want my first post to be as Stacey and I launch Community Barn Ventures. Your first message is important. You get one shot.

We started this company because we believe in our community, we believe in the power of people and we believe in each other. The common thread through all of this is people.

I watched the Golden Globes this year. Not sure why. I don’t seem to watch much network TV anymore. For 6 minutes, I was glad I did. Oprah received an award. Yes, Oprah – And while we can roll our eyes, I have to say, I liked her message. 

When she went back stage, she was chatting about lessons learned and shared the story below;

And all those years on 'The Oprah Show,' the greatest lesson I learned was that after every show, someone would say, invariably, in one way or another, 'How was that?' I'd finish an interview with a father who killed his twin girls. I'd finish an interview with politicians, Barack Obama or Joe Biden, George Bush. Beyoncé! They all said the same thing: 'How was that?' And so I started to see that there's this common thread in our humanity where everyone wants to know, 'How was that? Did I do okay? Did you hear me and did what I say mean something to you?' So I would have to say that recognizing that in other people has helped me to become a person of compassion...

I think she’s right. All of us want to feel heard. Everyone hopes their efforts are welcomed, appreciated, valued. It doesn’t matter how successful you are. It doesn’t matter if you are just starting your career or just about to retire. We can be better at helping others when we really hear them, when we listen to understand, not just speak to be understood, and when we affirm their value.

This is what we hope to demonstrate at Community Barn Ventures. We want to listen to members of our community, our clients, our neighbors. We want to understand your goals and your aspirations, and we want to work together to make them become more than just an idea. 

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and we hope you come back often!