Are you helping others or shutting them out?

Firstly, building deeper relationships or feeling a sense of community and belonging is not BS. As someone who has been encouraged to be a leader and relationship builder for as long as I can remember, I can tell you... Feeling valued and understood by people you respect or care for goes a long way.

You may have seen the word community pop up on your timeline more over the last two years and you wouldn't be alone. As a team leader and community builder, I've spoken to a few people recently who are tired of hearing about community in the media... but what is it?

It is NOT fake, it is not created to sell product and it isn't the same as a network. LinkedIn is a network. I have over 22,000 connections on LinkedIn and they are not all in my community.

A community is a symbiotic ecosystem where people share a common bond. It is not a utopia but people do have a deeper connection around something meaningful to them.

Big Tip! Sorry to tell you this but it can't be manufactured on an industrial scale.

I grew up in a community no better or worse than yours, perhaps a little different but it meant and still means the world to me. It was there long before me and although it has evolved, it will be there far into the future.

I've always been fascinated by the impact people can have in my circle and how people operate differently outside my circle. Yesterday, I wrote an article that touched on connecting and trust. Today, we progress onto identity.

What do I represent and are those around me a reflection in anyway of how I see myself?

Being closer to people who have complimentary ideas, goals and aspirations doesn't mean I am or should be closed to others. As humans we need room to learn, to be accepted but also to be challenged and to grow from it.

What better place to do that in than a community?

I've just finished one chapter in my professional life by closing my startup. I gave a lot of me and my time to people I identify with and it was in hindsight, very rewarding. The next team, project or community I join will be better for it thus underlining that old saying (if you do it right)...

The more you give, the more you get.

Alex

PS - here is a link to my recent popular blog for adidas - it is all about even as regular people, how and why we need to rest & recover https://lnkd.in/d8qZG6f