I'm working through an exercise from Oak & Reeds Interactive Training (oakandreeds.com) called "Getting and Giving Support." It's based on the idea that we need three kinds of support in our lives: 1. A shoulder to cry on: someone I can be vulnerable with and share my pain, fears and frustrations. 2. A brain to pick: someone I trust and respect to give me helpful feedback, advice and coaching. 3. A kick in the pants: someone who will tell me the 100% truth even when it's hard to hear and challenge me to do something about it. Help me map my support network. I'll share some context about my life and work, and then I'd like you to ask me questions to help me identify who fills each role. My context: [Share: your role, how many people you manage, your team dynamics, whether you're going through any transitions, and anything about your personal support system you want to explore.] For each of the three types of support, help me identify: - Who I GET this support from (at work and in my personal life) - Who I GIVE this support to After I share my answers, help me spot any patterns or imbalances. For example, am I giving one type of support to many people but not receiving it from anyone? Are all three types concentrated in one person?

Continuing the Getting and Giving Support exercise from Oak & Reeds Interactive Training. Here's what I discovered about my support network: Shoulder to cry on: - I get it from: [names/roles] - I give it to: [names/roles] Brain to pick: - I get it from: [names/roles] - I give it to: [names/roles] Kick in the pants: - I get it from: [names/roles] - I give it to: [names/roles] Help me analyze this map: 1. Where are the biggest imbalances between what I give and what I receive? 2. Are any of the three types completely missing from my work life or personal life? 3. Am I relying too heavily on one person for multiple types of support? 4. Based on what you see, what's the most likely impact of these imbalances on my stress, decision-making, and relationships? For each gap you identify, suggest 3 concrete steps I could take to address it. The steps should be realistic, not "find a mentor" but something I could actually do this week.

I'd like to practice a conversation to strengthen my support network. This exercise is based on the Getting and Giving Support framework from Oak & Reeds Interactive Training (oakandreeds.com/emotional-intelligence). The gap I want to address: [Describe the specific imbalance. For example: "I don't have anyone at work I can be vulnerable with" or "I need someone who will give me honest, challenging feedback" or "I want to tell a colleague that I'd like to be more of a sounding board for them."] The person I want to have this conversation with: [Describe the person and your relationship. No need to use their real name.] Please roleplay as this person. Start the conversation naturally (maybe over coffee or at the end of a meeting). I'll practice what I want to say. After each of my responses, give me brief coaching feedback: - What landed well - What might feel awkward or unclear to the other person - A suggestion for how to say it differently Let's do 4-5 exchanges. At the end, summarize what I did well and give me one thing to remember when I have this conversation for real.