Build a Community of Leaders at Work
Find like-minded people in your job and make positive things happen.
We spend so much time working. But work can be lonely and annoying.
When was the last time you thought about how terrible your managers are? And why do you have to work overtime because capacity planning sucks? How can one change it and feel better at work?
The answer might be leadership.
Leadership is not just for managers. It helps you understand yourself and how to work with other people better. Ready to find allies and support each other?
#bettertogether
‘Excellent company culture’. ‘A friendly colleague’. You wish for that, but your team might be stressed out, demotivated, and not open to feedback.
Creating a community is a way to build trust and share purpose. You work as analysts, project managers, or accountants. But what do you have in common with your employer?
People want:
Transparent communication.
Feel respected and listened to.
Participate in decisions and planning.
Collaborate and make things work better.
Have opportunities to connect and socialize.
Feel they have the tools, resources, and training to get the job done.
Relationships = influence. Starting your own leadership community might be an interesting move. People are hungry for development, and many are waiting for an opportunity to participate if they have a chance.
Are you up for the challenge?
Do your research first
Even the best ideas are often not accepted because people are not interested. If you want to build a community, you should find out if others want it. It comes to projects, innovation, or initiatives.
Do people even want it?
Leadership communities can, for example, assist members in developing communication skills. People often struggle with providing feedback, handling conflicts, or articulating their ideas.
Find the pain points. Talk to them about what they need. How they would feel supported? Explore their struggles and skills.
Every community should offer a safe space. When people can talk and share experiences, they can learn from each other. Many management meetings are often just a project summary and no other sharing whatsoever.
Leaders fail because they don’t share. Nothing about their motivation, difficult conversations they have, or hiring troubles.
From idea to execution
Every new idea might not be welcomed. Create an appealing and clean pitch that brings people together.
The goal is to gather together like-minded people who share similar interests. It could be communication, optimization, automation, leadership, or mindset. Etc.
Based on your research you should know the basics:
Community objectives (e.g., leadership skills)
What topics will your community be talking about (e.g., feedback, team building, hiring, etc.)?
Who is interested (e.g., anyone, only managers)?
Who can lead meetings and participate as a speaker (e.g., knowledge and networking)?
How will your community communicate (e.g., private Teams channel)?
How often will you meet (e.g., once a month, bi-weekly)?
source: makeameme
Execution is essential to your community work. It usually starts with the hype around it. Yet, with time, it has become less of a priority. Instead people:
❌ Have deadlines to meet.
❌ Feel that internal inputs are insufficient.
❌ Do not want to stay overtime if there is an after-hours meeting.
❌ Find out they aren't interested in the subject matter.
One thing is clear. If you start a community, show up consistently. Too many changes, cancellations, or unfulfilled promises can break trust, and nothing will be achieved.
Trial and fail
Leadership communities can be short-term or long-term. You can start it and kill it in six months. Great as long as it serves a purpose.
For example, you want to upskill future leaders and make them comfortable before they enter their new roles. Plan it short-term. If you want to create a network of mentors who can help managers deal with everyday pressure, think long-term.
Either way, jump on the trial-and-error wave.
Leadership can’t be learned in a week. It is a long-term journey in which communities support people on their quest. Yet, they can also fail. In the past, I have seen companies that offered mentorship but only on paper. Or they did training for new managers that were one-day training.
Learn from failures and what doesn't work. That is also leadership.
Tips on what to do in your community
Show appreciation - value participation, discussions, and energy people bring.
Give everyone a voice - in many leadership training sessions, you hear a lot of how-tos, best practices, etc. But discuss it with the community too and see what really works and what does not. Leadership has no hard rules.
Let new members bring new ideas - seasoned leaders sometimes think they have it all figured out. No, they don’t. When you onboard new people, be interested in their experience.
Promote sharing and circulation - the community is stronger when people care and share. Build it in this fashion from the beginning.
If you don’t have enough
Watch: Connect and lead, how we create community | Kathy Coffey
Read: 53% of women say they’re lonely at work and it only gets worse the higher they climb.
Read: Lonely at Work
See you next week! Ivona