Community: What's In It For Them?

When speaking with people about their business, I’m often struck by how often the existence of an omnipresent group is brought up. The marketing is this, the suppliers are that, they don’t follow, they don’t buy. We do good work and we want others to notice and appreciate it. We want return on our investment.

Will You Change?

But we are looking at the situation strictly from our perspective. We want others to change and shift to fit our model. I have prospects, clients, event participants often ask “will it work?” They don’t like the answer “it all depends” because they want a guarantee or a quick win. It’s not what you can do, it’s what you will do. I can’t do that part for you.

We have been on this earth for hundreds of thousands of years and despite some claims, there are no guarantees. There are too many moving parts and the most important part is us. My treadmill will not get me into shape by collecting dust in my basement. New clients will not find me by osmosis without my effort. And Twitter will not create a community on its own. It takes hard work, a concentrated effort and focus.

Lead the Followers

Derek Sivers is a fascinating guy who is a musician by heart who has developed a growing independent music community called CD Baby by accident.

We often think that we need to stand out in front when we lead, Derek offers another angle to consider. After you watch this three minute video, you may get a whole new perspective about how you nurture relationships. [video]


Kneale Mann

visual credit: TED