Escaping Mediocrity

Regardless of what you think about the politics of the Occupy Wall Street Movement (that isn’t the point of this article – at all.), there is something to admire about their ability to galvanize people all over the country – and the world – into a movement that is drawing so much public attention.

I’ve spent some time looking at the organization through a business lens – particularly the business lens that is focused on building a community. While there are a TON of shortcomings to point to (aren’t there always in any community?), there is much to learn from what they’ve done right.

From a business perspective, here are 10 lessons that I’m really paying attention to:

#1 – At the outset, OWS tapped into a deep emotion felt by a broad swath of people – in this case anger.

#2 – Early on, OWS crafted a succinct, sticky message to help people identify in (or identify out) – “We are the 99%”.

#3 – They tell people exactly what they need to do to be a part the community – “occupy wall street”.

#4 – They stayed dedicated in the early days of chaos.

#5 – They stayed dedicated when most everyone thought their idea for a community was a flash in the pan. And while they haven’t lasted through the winter yet, they’ve lasted a lot longer than most people thought they would.

#6 – They quickly established an internal, democratic structure to hold the community together (and are experiencing very public growing pains).  While this may not be the most efficient system in the world, it allows members to have a voice in their community, which is essential community glue.

#7 – They create and rely on specialized teams, or work groups, to handle specific community management tasks, i.e.  PR Work Group, Sustainability Work Group, Finance Work Group, etc.

#8 They use social media as a vehicle to build In Real Life communities, not a s a substitute for In Real Life communities.

#9 They find a way to get what their In Real Life  communities need. No electricity for laptops? No problem. They set up bicycle powered generators. Alas, they haven’t quite figured out how to handle the bathroom thing yet.

#10 In the end, one of their biggest keys to getting as far as they have is their ability to galvanize smaller, well-organized groups into a bigger movement.

BONUS LESSON: Manage your image problems before they manage you. In recent days, OWS has lost a lot of public opinion points because they failed to have this in place. Is their image irreversibly tarnished? Only time will tell.

As I said at the top of the article, these lessons aren’t about whether you agree or disagree with what OWS is up to (and neither is the comment section for this post, just fyi.) This is about looking at a group that got some things really right, learning from them, and putting those lessons to use in our own communities.

I’m keeping this list close at hand as I continue with my community building. At the moment, I’m choosing my top three to start working on now. Which three do you think will be most useful for you to put into place quickly? Please share in the comments, okay?

I’ve gotten lots of questions about HOW to build a thriving community into a business. While I have some ideas about that, I really want to spur your thoughts and creativity around the subject. So, I’ve put together a short list of some kickass communities that really get it right.

Some a large, some are small. You’ve heard of some; you haven’t heard of others. And all of them have something to teach us. Get a pen and paper so you can make notes about how to apply what your reading.

Running Room

Running Room COULD be just another store that sells stuff runners want. Lots of stores do that and are quite successful. But the Running Room, a successful chain of Canadian stores,  decided to be much much more than that.

With terrific insight into what their customers (and potential customers) REALLY want, Running Room created both online and offline gathering places for anyone interested in running or walking. If you never buy a thing, you can gather there for a live clinic, find running buddies, start and end your run, participate in their online forums or peruse the list of running events they keep meticulously up-to-date. In short, it’s a place that runners BELONG.

The Running Room knows that loyalty is built by much more than a pair of shoes.

Have you created a gathering place in your business?

Verdugo Woodlands Dads Club Inc

I don’t know about your experiences, but when I think of organizations involved in elementary schools, I always think that they are comprised of women – moms to be exact.

Not in Glendale California.

The Verdugo Woodlands Dads Club, in existence since 1957, owns and operates a youth house for the children of the community. The house is used for school and community activities like Scouts, Pancake Breakfasts, Little League meetings, and  special classes. The Dads Club sponsors the school robotics team and raises money through a totally dad run talent show to provide extras for the school above and beyond the regular PTO contributions.

These dads choose to build a community for themselves and for their children in an arena that many consider “woman’s domain” because they are passionate about their children.

Is your community built around passion?

Harley Davidson

If any business has “community” at its core, it’s Harley Davidson. Harley owners are absurdly passionate about their bikes and gather in clusters on any given sunny Sunday and the corporate office does everything in their power to encourage and foster this passionate connection.

Go to the Community page on the corporate site and you won’t find just one community of Harley enthusiasts to join. You’ll find FIVE, each appealing to a specialized group with specific needs and interests:  women riders, military riders, Hispanic riders , the Iron Elite and a general owners group.

Are you paying attention to the diverse needs of your community?

TUT

No discussion about creating community would be worth it’s spit if it didn’t include a conversation about TUT. TUT (Totally Unique Thoughts) started in 1989 as a shop selling t-shirts to tourists. Fast forward to today and TUT is now and “Adventure Club” with 385,000 members world-wide complete with a charitable 501(c)3.

How did TUT make such a leap? There are many reasons I supposed, but I believe TUT tapped in early to our deep deep desire to tap into the often elusive magic of live. That, paired with the owners uncanny ability to deliver that magic, has created a thriving, wildly profitable community that combines online and offline gatherings to create an unparalleled bond with its members.

What deep desire does your community tap into?

As you can see, there are all kinds of ways to approach this thing called community and build it into your business plan. The question is, are you going to sit there and read about how these organizations do it or are you going to start making notes on how you can start adding community into your business, right now?

Would love to hear your ideas about that in the comments!!

Okay – so let’s all agree that “community” has become an overused buzzword, much in the same vein as “authenticity”, “guru”, and “ninja”. It seems that if we throw the word “community” around enough, it makes us sound like a) we have one and b) we know what to do with one. From what I’ve seen out there, nothing could be further from the truth for most businesses.

Here’s the thing. For a business to thrive, communities cannot be a nice-to-have, touchy-feely, give-it-to-an-intern kind of thing. For a business to thrive, Community must be built into the business plan from the get go. (Actually I believe that Community must be the CENTER of a business plan, but that is the subject of another post for another day.)

A robust, active community, brings business advantages with it. Advantages that will put you above and beyond the competition. Because I’ve been building and fostering communities in some form or fashion since 1986, I’ve experienced the power of these advantages first hand, again and again and again. Here are a few of my favorites:

1) Research and Development

We know we are supposed to ask our “niche” (another over-used word) what solutions they want before we go and create them. But here’s the thing about that. As Henry Ford once said, ”If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

But if you have a  group of people who are deeply connected to you and your brand, who are as committed to it as you are, you can do more than just ask them what they want. You can talk with them, empower them to help you tease out the REAL problem. You can give them stuff you’ve thought up to beta test and give you feed back on.

I’ve done this a TON with the Escaping Mediocrity community. I’m actually doing it right now as I work on my book. And every single time I go to them with a “something” and then let them take it where they will, it gets better. More important, I get better.  And most important, the “thing” gets better.

2) Raving Fans Who Will Help You Spread the Word

After your community has spent time and energy (read “invested”) on helping you refine your thing, guess what happens when you take it to market? They want to help you spread the word! They helped create the thing, you’ve given them ownership in the thing, so they want to tell their friends all about it.

I see lots of businesses try to create a community for this sole purpose. A free marketing department, if you will. And I’ve never see that end well. That’s kind of what Klout facilitates, right? They help companies give swag to a community of influencers in hopes that said community of influencers will spread the word. I think it’s safe to say that that model is working marginally at best.

The more successful strategy is to create a reason for people to gather or rally around you and your business. Give them ownership (noticing a theme here?!); empower them; treat them as a vital part of what you are up to. An invested heart is the greatest marketing asset in the world.

3) A Client Base Waiting to Gobble Up Whatever You Offer

In the end, a business needs people who are willing to trade money for their “thing”, right? If they’ve been involved in developing the “thing” from idea to offer, they will line up to buy it when it’s finally ready. Even if they haven’t been that involved (think Apple), a thriving community of loyal fans will count on the fact that you’ve created something awesome just for them, because that’s what you are known for doing.

Again, some business I see out there go about building a community for the sole purpose of selling them something. All I have to say is “Good luck with that.”

With all of these real, tangible, and (gawd) profitable advantages to be gained, why on earth would anyone not focus major resources on building, supporting and empowering a thriving community?

Yeah – I’m stumped.

What business advantages have you seen a thriving community create?

I’ll admit it. The past few days have been very very hard for me. I feel like I am stumbling around in the dark a bit, unsure of what might be around the next corner. I feel tentative and distant, devoid of my usual sharp clarity and focus.

No need to worry or offer up coaching advice. This will pass – it always does. It happens to everyone, I think, as we push and grow and shift and change. It’s just that many, make that most, of the experts and gurus we listen to never admit it out loud or talk about what to do when it comes knocking on your door.

As I am currently in the throes of it, I thought I would share a strategy live from the front line. You may not need it now – I sincerely hope you don’t. But you will very probably need it soon if you are shifting and growing as much as I think you are.

My strategy is simple, some of you might call it silly actually. But it works for me, so here it is. I write encouraging notes to myself.  They aren’t long or flowery or complex. They are simple and direct ( I talk to myself the same way I talk to other people).

Here are a few of them:

~ There are times when it will feel pointless to attempt to create awesome. If you don’t create awesome anyway, what will you create in its place?

~ There are people who will disappoint and dishearten you because they are something other than who they presented themselves to be. Don’t pass a sweeping judgement based on this small (in more ways than one), isolated sampling. “They” are not “everyone”.

~ Having strong opinions will cost you the popularity contest. But do you really want to win it being shallow and vapid?

~ Days (or weeks or months) will pass when you feel like the only one reading what you write is you. That may or may not be true. And if it is true, it’s all the more reason to write something you will enjoy reading.

~ As you grapple with your desire to have the admiration and respect of the “right” people, remember that you already have the admiration, respect and love of those who matter most.

~ Yes, you may have temporarily lost the ability to come up with anything original or interesting to say. Now is the time to fill your well with those who always have something interesting to say. Read a good book, watch a great movie, talk to [my best friend].

These aren’t all the notes I write to myself. There a many MANY more where these came from. And the point isn’t really what I wrote in them anyway. The point is that I wrote them.

So if and when you feel lost or discouraged or uncertain, remember that everyone else feels this way too at some time or another. Whether they admit it out loud or not. And write encouraging notes to yourself. You know you best – draw on that knowledge. Lean into it. Count on it.

Your notes, and my notes, are like breadcrumbs leading out of the dark, bleak forest and back into the sunny, familiar meadow.

I’m neck deep into my research on extraordinary communities. I’m learning SO much as I read, ask questions and explore the fabric that holds communities together and adding it to all that I already know from my own work over the past 15 years.

YOUR ideas and suggestions have led me to some wonderful examples that are fascinating – so thank you for offering up your unique knowledge and experience.

At the moment, I’m compiling a list of the thing –  the quality, the feeling – that sets an extraordinary community above and apart from others.  I will share the beginning of my list here.  As always, I would love it so if you would add to the list in the comments. I’m always enriched by the way you think.

What Extraordinary Communities Share – The Beginning of a List
(In no particular order)

- A Common Passion

- An inclusive environment

- Trust/Safety

- Empowered

- Fosters relationship

- Shared values

- Commitment to each other

- Engagement

- Honesty

- Uplifting

- Easy to Identify Into and Join

- Supportive

- Generous

- Relevant

- Inspirational

- Belonging

-Loyalty

- Pride

- Sense of History and Legacy

I have more – but I will stop here and let you add to the list.

Woot!! The one and only Elizabeth Marshall (@LizMarshall) is doing a call with me THIS Monday, October 31 at 1 pm EST on “The Right Way to Build Business Relationships“.  Elizabeth is a connector extraordinaire and has taught me so much about building strong, solid business relationships.

Because we share such similar views on how to (and how NOT to) build business relationships, we’ve decided to team up for a fast and furious 30 minute call to share our best tips and strategies on this topic.

If your offline and online business relationships are supporting your work in a BIG way, skip this call. If they aren’t, pop your name and email addy in the boxes below and we’ll zing you the call info.

 

Name:

Email:

 

Check out Building Meaningful Online Relationships here (Hurry – the $79 price tag expires Monday, Oct. 31.)  http://escaping-mediocrity.com/building-meaningful-relationships/

My very first job out of college was as a Community Development Coordinator for the residence life program of a large university. My job was to take a dorm full of relative strangers and help them build a community for themselves.

It was challenging and it was FUN! And I’ve been building communities throughout my career ever since. Volunteer communities, organizational communities, sales team communities – all kinds of communities. It isn’t an external “strategy”, it’s just part of who I am and how I operate in the world.

I’m starting look more and more at how it is communities function – mainly because I believe that the more disassociated and confusing and scary our world becomes, the more we CRAVE a community to belong to.

But what is it, exactly, that makes a community remarkable enough that we want to belong to it? And by that I mean, what quality is it that draws us in AND compels to keep coming back?

I have my own ideas about that, but I am extremely interested in your ideas. So, if you feel so inclined, in the comments section below I would love to hear about:

1) A community (online or offline, local or global) that you belong to that you think is remarkable.

2) THE single quality that makes it feel remarkable to you.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with!!!

From time to time I get chastised by so-called social media superstars for the fact that I am, at times, grumpy, moody, direct, and simply “not positive”.

“Turn that frown upside down!” People only want to hear positive encouragement on social media.” “To be a leader, you need to stop with all the negativity.”

I call bullshit.

I will never, ever be Pollyanna Positive and I don’t believe that’s all people are craving. Here’s the story of why.

I spent the first thirty years of my life quelling thoughts and feelings that were considered “inappropriate”. I pursued appearing to be the “right, acceptable” person in hopes that it would make my life go the way I wanted it to go.  I pretended none of the other stuff existed.

And, to be fair, it worked for a little while. I was a successful student, considered a leader, made Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa and Mortar Board. Went on to successful jobs in the business world where I was touted as an Up and Comer most of the time.

But while all this was going on in the public eye, some dark nasty was happening behind closed doors. I battled depression and anxiety, my personal life imploded, and I was truly deeply miserable. It was more awful than I can put into words, so I’m not going to try.

During my desperate attempt to crawl out the deep, dark hole I’d dug for myself , A discovery was laid before in something I can only describe as miraculous. A wise wise person looked me in the eye and said “Human beings were given a complex range of emotions unlike any other creature on earth. And if we don’t use them, exercise them, give them fresh air and sunshine, they start eating at us like cancer.  And creating diseases just as deadly.”

This wise person went on to say that if I did not find a way to express my full range of human-ness, I would very like die. And not metaphorically.

A wake up call if there ever was one.

So I’ve spent the last 16 odd years learning how to live full self-expressed. Does it come with a price? Sure it does. Sometimes I say or do the wrong thing. Sometimes I make a mess I have to clean up. Sometimes I could keep my thoughts a bit more private. Sometimes I over-indulge in my negative emotions and wind up with a hangover. Sometimes people I really really like get angry. Sometimes people I really really like walk away.

But when I weigh this price against squelching who I am to the point of being a shard of a person, I’ll gladly pay whatever is asked.

And here’s the thing: in this obnoxiously loud online world where everyone is basically trying to say “Hey! Look at me and all my awesomeness!!”, I think people crave permission to exhale. To just be. To express whatever it is they need to express – positive, negative, whatever.

This is the gateway to living fully self-expressed. Which is what I want for you with every fiber of my being.

So I wave my magic wand and say “Permission granted! Go be the fully self-expressed human that you are!”

And if you are in search of Pollyanna Positive, she doesn’t live here.

So if you’ve been keeping up, you know that I’ve become quite fascinated with communities of late. What makes them tick, why do we join them, why do we leave them, what qualities define an outstanding one – all of those questions are part of my quest to learn more.

Today I want to share with you some of my early insights about the kinds of communities that are out there. I’ve realized that different kinds of communities have different life-spans AND different life expectancies. As long as we know this when we join a community, we’re in good shape. Problems occur when we think we are in one kind of community and suddenly discover that we are in another kind entirely.

So without further adieu, here is my first attempt to describe communities in this way. (This is BETA, not carved in stone, okay?!)

Four Kinds of Communities

The “Pop Up” Community

The Pop Up community is one that springs to life seemingly overnight and out of nowhere.

Lifespan: The Pop Up Community has a very short, but intense life span.

Examples: I’m thinking of communities like those that form at an event like SXSW or Blogworld. Or those that spring up online around a specific cause or event.  A short, shared experience is the glue that holds the Pop Up Community together.

The Pop Up Community is like a match. It burst to life in a bright, hot flame. Connections and relationships happen almost instantly and emails, dms, messages and texts fly as fast as they can be typed. Sometimes the Pop Up Community evolves into another kind of community and sometimes it dies a natural death at the conclusion of the event from which it sprang.

The Temporary Community

A close relative of the Pop Up Community, the temporary community is one that is intentionally designed to temporary from the very beginning.

Lifespan: Can vary anywhere from a few days to several months – maybe even a year. Everyone knows that it’s not designed to be permanent. It has a predictable beginning and a predictable end.

The idea is that a group or community comes together, works along aside each other for a set amount of time and when the project or “thing” they are working on concludes, the community disbands.

Examples: I’m thinking of communities like the one that forms around my month-long blog series. I know and the community members know that the community that forms will last exactly one month. That’s not to say that some people will bond and stay around Escaping Mediocrity longer – some will. But that is a bonus, not an expectation.

Another example of a temporary community is a group or committee who designs, plans and executes a specific something like an event. (The group that made TEDxRedMountain happen springs to mind.)

Another example is a formal mastermind or community coaching program. Everyone knows when it starts. Everyone knows who is in it. Everyone knows when it will officially end.

The Transient Community

The Transient Community is a little tougher to describe because it’s one where members of the community come and go. In fact, I’m debating whether it has a place in this particular list of community descriptions based on life span.

But a Transient Community is distinctly different from the other three, so for now, it’s here.

Lifespan: Varies Wildly

Examples: Sometimes the community structure is fixed, like membership organizations, but the actual people IN the community changes.  Sometimes the community structure is as fluid as the people who are in it – such as informal masterminds or support networks.

The most important thing I can say about a Transient Community is that you’ve got to know when you are in one. If you expect a transient community to anything other than what it is, you’ll be disappointed.

The Anchor Community

Which brings be to the idea of the Anchor Community. These are the communities most of us long for.

Lifespan: The Anchor Community has structure, a long life span (perhaps even indefinite) and we know who the members are. Certainly new people may join from time to time and of course there will be some people who leave. However, there is a certain amount of solid predictability and familiarity built into the community’s fabric.

Examples: I’m thinking of communities like churches, synagogues and other house of faith. I’m thinking of the community of friends you’ve known since college who know all about you and love you anyway. I’m thinking about the group of colleagues who formally or informally meet and communicate to support and challenge each other – and have for years.

More Thoughts

As you can tell from the above descriptions, one kind of community can evolve or devolve into another kind of community. A community could be a hybrid of several different kinds of communities.

As you can probably also tell, I’m still fleshing out the descriptions of these four communities – this idea is still very much in BETA. To that end, I would LOVE your thoughts and feedback on this whole idea.

Have I left out a kind of community that can be defined by lifespan? Can you think of more examples of communities that fit into the above for descriptions? Do I need to add more/different descriptors?

As always, I anxiously await your wisdom.