My gang, my tribe, my squad. I’d never really thought about how important they are, but now with Lockdown and WFH, they emerge as probably my most important asset. I’ve tried building communities online through the usual suspects (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). It’s so hard to keep everyone’s attention. They really are artificial communities. Not a lot in common, except a polite shared admiration of some food photo. Hardly the same. I doubt if any need I have will be answered with any ‘real’ response. Except maybe with the clicking of an emoji.
However, when you build a work team around you that embraces the shared values of a common workplace goal, then you find you have your community.
And in the current circumstances we still meet online and share our experiences – our stories.
I’ve found that the thing that creates a community is when individuals can share their stories without judgement. This in turn contributes to new learnings in others.
And new learnings in others in your team means improved performance.