The pull and power of community

Future Work/Life?is my newsletter in which I explore ideas focused on the future of work and how to lead energised, entrepreneurial and productive teams. If you'd prefer to receive this newsletter first every Thursday, join thousands of others who are subscribed on?Substack (check out the details in my profile).

In June 2022, after a successful (but stressful) fifteen-year career, David Spinks called time on being the “Community Guy”.

Twelve months later, he’s back. And still passionate about community.

On this week’s podcast (link in the comments), I spoke with David about:

• Why after selling his community business CMX, he needed to step away for a sabbatical.
• The benefits and challenges he experienced while reimagining what was to come next.
• How he’s returned to work with an open mind about what’s next and renewed energy.

I really enjoyed our conversation, partly because of the parallels between our lives.

I also took some time off after a decade running my last company, burned out and unsure about the future. One thing I knew - a feeling David shares - is that fulfilment means not just business success but prioritising relationships, particularly while our kids are young.

Since my experience ultimately led to writing?Work/Life Flywheel, I’m using it as a lens to view the lessons David’s learned and how you can apply them to your work/life and your business.

Mindset:

As I wrote in the book:

“Before starting any mission, you’d better be sure you want to do it. The first step is developing a progressive but pragmatic MINDSET that focuses on being clear about your values and objectives.”

After his time at CMX, David took a deliberate break to reconsider his goals and what mattered most, approaching the process with a completely open mind. Taking this time out helped him shape the next stage of his life and career.

Has he decided definitively what he will do for the next ten years? Maybe not. But he recognises the things he enjoys doing and, importantly, those that drain his energy.

Similarly, great communities and businesses align around shared values and objectives. In particular, as teams become more distributed, it makes sense to drill down into what matters for individuals and as a collective.

Creativity:

David's post-sabbatical writing journey shows the importance of creative expression in exploring new ideas and articulating our stories.

He started writing online in his teens, but after years of taking on more responsibility and leading his business, he felt his writing had become “clipped”. It no longer reflected his personality and unique points of view. Post-sabbatical, his writing evolved into a medium for exploring his passions and articulating his ideas.

As Steven Kotler , a writer nominated for multiple Pulitzer once told me:

“Life should be art. Everything should be a creative decision. Creative decisions are all about mastery and excellence, and beauty.”

Creating an innovative and productive culture starts with everyone feeling able to tell their story.

Experimentation:

There are two ways to look at not having a plan or any expectations about what’s next.

1. Fear
2. Freedom.

David experienced both, but ultimately he’s embraced new possibilities.

His sabbatical was a significant experiment in itself. Exploration led him back to his passion for community-building, albeit with a fresh perspective and renewed enthusiasm.

Yes, it pays to focus in the end, but always continue experimenting. The 80/20 rule is a decent rule of thumb. 20% testing and 80% doubling down on what works.

Community:

There’s nothing new I can tell David about community, but it was fascinating to hear him articulate why it’s pulled him back in.

He may have felt jaded, but his fundamental interest in sociology and human behaviour never faded. In particular, his appreciation of what connects us and how shared interests can create incredible and unexpected outcomes. Time away has allowed him to think about communities differently. To join and build communities that are about support and joy as much as work.

Irrespective of our objectives, finding people experiencing similar challenges and at the same stage of life and career as us can unlock incredible personal growth.

Learning:

David's sabbatical was a time of intensive learning.

He tapped into the resources of online communities, learning from others and leveraging their collective wisdom. He learned about himself and the things that drained his energy (like endless meetings, surprise, surprise!).

He also relearned the importance of the simple things in life – like giving yourself the time and space to think!

And the importance of being led by curiosity.

As Dorie Clark wrote in?The Long Game, following your curiosity can even help you discover your ‘purpose’:

“Wherever we are in our lives, we may not yet have identified something overtly meaningful that we want to do or are good at. But we all have things we’re interested in and want to learn more about. A passion for photographing birds, for instance, may not seem particularly ‘meaningful’. But if it’s interesting, that curiosity spurs us toward mastery and ultimately may lead in useful directions, such as new personal and professional connections, a book deal, or a successful campaign to preserve local wetlands.”

Breakthroughs:

Although the final section of my book is called ‘Breakthroughs’, critically, it breaks down into four distinct parts:

1.?????Rest and recovery?– While a sabbatical is perfect for this, scheduling downtime for you and your team consistently each week is essential.

2.?????Moments of reflection?– As life becomes increasingly hectic and overwhelming, time and space to pause and reflect can unlock valuable insights.

3.?????Tracking your progress?– It’s difficult to acknowledge growth when you’re stuck in the weeds, which is why it’s so important to have a system to track it.

4.?????Trusting the process?– Neither David nor I feel we’ve entirely cracked our work/life transitions, but sometimes you keep putting one foot in front of the other.

When it comes to business and community, David’s an incredibly knowledgeable and insightful guy.

He also offers a refreshing take if you’re feeling drained and need some ideas on how to re-energise.

So check out our conversation in?this week’s Future Work/Life podcast.

Have a nice weekend,

Ollie