Written by Renate McDonald

While working in my first full-time job out of university, there was so much I was unaware of. I went into a brand-new environment, and I was a young person surrounded by others who had such a wealth of knowledge! Naturally, I started to learn the culture of the company from those around me. A part of that learning had to do with money. Being in a setting where salaries were tiered, and we each knew each other's tiers; I thought it was acceptable to ask my coworkers about a particular benefit on my pay slip. BIG MISTAKE!

The shock and offense on the faces of my coworkers’ faces when I asked to see their pay slips is hard to forget. It just was not something that was done. It’s way too personal! I showed them mine anyway. Why? Because I needed help to understand what was happening with my salary and I trusted them to guide me.

In doing so, a conversation started among my colleagues regarding what was happening with that same benefit and their own salaries. Through that line of questioning, others found out that funds were being deducted where they should not have been. The outcome – more money in their pockets! At that point, they saw the benefit of being a little more willing to share about money matters. Afterall, we were all working in the same space, doing similar work, with similar compensation.

I shared this story first because it taught me a few things about the value of community when it comes to your financial journey:

1.  Others May Know More than You but You Still Have Something to Offer

No matter how educated you are, there will be some things that you simply do not yet know or understand in ways that others might. It is a blessing to have a community around you that you can trust to provide guidance and assistance as you continue to learn and grow on your own journey. Embrace the community and use it wisely while you have it!

Additionally, there will be things that you may see or know that others do not. In this story, I was able to see the discrepancy because I had a fresh pair of eyes looking at this pay slip versus those who had been seeing it for years upon years. My vigilance contributed to the overall benefit of the group.

2.  The More Experienced Among You Deserve Respect

The older or more experienced ones within the group provide valuable insights on what has happened in the past and what is likely to come.

In the story above, it was the experienced ones among us who were able to readily identify the errors. They were also the ones able to defend the correct position without being frustrated or confused.

To this day, I credit the start of my serious financial journey to an older coworker who took me under his wing during and after this incident. He trained me up to the point of becoming a part of our Union’s leadership and he also openly shared his own financial and entrepreneurial journey with me. I learned more about money from him during those conversations than I learned throughout all my years at school. Most notably, he taught me the value of a pension fund and that transformed how I treated mine from that day forward.

3.  Transparent Communication Benefits the Group

One of the common sayings we have at Learn Grow invest is “Collaboration over Competition” and we believe this! We each have different strengths. When we come together towards a common goal, we can achieve exponentially more than if we take on the task alone.

This kind of teamwork requires honest communication though. If I had withheld from my coworkers and just vaguely described my challenges, we may not have all had the benefit of spotting the error thereby redeeming lost money. I am not saying that everyone needs to share all their personal details in every community they are a part of – no. But I am saying that you should not be so closed off in all settings that you lose out on the potential benefits of being a part of your community.

4.  When One Succeeds, The Community Benefits

When you help others succeed, you will be elevated too. Your timing may be different, your skillset may be different but when the time comes for you to be promoted, you will have exactly the support you need to succeed. The faces around you may be different but the provision of the support will be exactly what you need.

This is the power of community – we help each other along our various journeys so that we all succeed. Success looks different for each of us but if you remain focused on your journey, then you are more likely to be encouraged by the success of those around you, knowing that yours is coming too! If they are where you want to be, seek their advice.

What I did not share in the story above is that even after I left that immediate environment, that group remained like family. They still are! We have helped each other in so many other ways over the years and we have genuinely done life together – weddings, funerals, births, new businesses, and more. We continue to focus on each other’s strengths so that each one has a chance to become the best version of themself.

 As you continue your own financial journey, I encourage you to become a part of the Learn Grow Invest Community so that you too can be surrounded by the knowledge, wisdom and support needed to help you go from strength to strength.