I saw a thread recently that “adulting” reminds you that you’re not immune from any form of suffering. No matter how brilliant you are. I learned this lesson rather early in life. At the tender age of 23, covered in the halo of young brilliance, I won the prestigious Fulbright scholarship to study in the USA. Little did I know that this experience would humble me in ways I didn’t think possible. Unlike South Africa Tulsa’s transportation system is optimised for private cars. Not public transport, not taxis, not walking: private cars. And as a foreign student I didn’t have one. I spent the first few months in denial. Trying to crack how to use the bus. Finding creative ways to walk on the pavements which would end in the middle of nowhere. It didn’t work. My only hope was my friends and new community. A network of expats and students from all over the world who knew that you need a car to survive here, and were probably both amused and impressed by my stubbornness and denial at this. I hated relying on this network at first. It went against everything I believed about myself. I believed that self reliance and independence were the hallmarks of why I had even gotten to be here in the first place. Once I tapped into this community and accepted the help they so kindly offered, I eventually found a family which was selling a car at a reduced price. A VW Golf 4 with a 2.0L engine. It became my best companion there until my graduation. I see this happening in leadership so often. Where the lie of self sufficiency leads companies, teams and leaders to try to do it on their own. To venture into capabilities they don’t have rather than partnering. To go into presentations without the help of their most capable team members, because they believe they can do it by themselves. This harms businesses more than we care to admit. The most classic example of this is Blockbuster. It refused a partnership with Netflix, believing they had the brand recognition, capital, and data to create their own digital solution later. We all know how that story ends. Changing this requires understanding that partnership, collaboration or merely asking for help isn’t weakness. But many times what would give us the edge. An HBR article titled “In Praise of the Incomplete Leader” echoes this. The hard truth is that the lie of self sufficiency is often rooted in ego. Leaders need to do the hard work of ego depletion (“dying to self”) to bridge the gap that they, their teams and businesses need through the help and participation of others. Who do you need that would amplify your impact or make your life easier this coming week? This could be your sign to reach out to them. The “Divine Edge” of your life, team or business may lie on the other side of that encounter.