If you know anything about me, you know that I’m sort of obsessed with 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. (I’ll spare you “the why” for another time.) 🙏
I capitalize the C to differentiate this concept from the way most people use the word—as a catchall for a group of people with a loose association.
Here are the four pillars I think about when building a Community. I am sharing this in the hopes that it helps you build strong communities at work and in your life.
🤗 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗲 of Communities. Everyone is warmly welcomed when they join and are treated with respect by its members.
🥳 The Community has 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 everyone partakes in. This can be as simple as meeting regularly.
👯♀️ The Community 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 to those that are a part of it. This does not have to come in lieu of diversity and inclusion.
🏠 Members of the Community feel 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴. They feel “at home."
The litmus test for a Community is a feeling more than anything else. It comes down to what ravers referred to back in the day as “the vibe” of a party or as Prof. Sumantra Ghoshal referred to as “the smell” of a company’s culture.