May 23, 2023

The Power of Community

I’ve had the gift of belonging to incredible friend groups all of my life. I can also say that about most of the organizations I’ve been a part of. 

Some of these I joined into and others I’ve been a part of creating. 

Regardless of where I found it, what’s true about all of these places is that they provided incredible community. And these communities offered the one thing that none of us can live without. 

Human connection. 

The significance of connection isn’t exactly new news, but Harvard’s longest running study claims that it’s THE key to happiness. 

You might go as far as to say that our well-being literally depends on it. 

Community is the breeding ground for connection. It promotes the very things most of us would give anything for:

  • Learning
  • Motivation
  • Sharing 
  • Influence 
  • Passion
  • Acceptance

We know we’re better in community. 

And yet…

Workplace loneliness is an epidemic that predates Covid. In the recent Belonging Barometer 2.0 study, EY found that more than 80% of employees have felt or feel lonely at work. 

AND, 49% feel lonelier today than they did before the pandemic.

AND, we’re busy. 

Many are feeling like the pre-Covid days of unsustainable schedules are back, and perhaps even worse than before. 

We tell ourselves that community is a nice-to-have – something we’ll figure out when things slow down. Meanwhile, we get lonelier, more disconnected, and less engaged in our work. 

Not a winning formula for well-being, fulfillment or productivity. 

We’re built for connection and community. 

Connection and community isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s foundational to all of the things we want in life. 

And like all great things, finding and building community takes some effort. It takes awareness, intentionality, and activation to get this back into our lives. 

We need to stop denying how much we need this and focus on the payoffs when we have it.

You know the feeling when you’re in a great community – it’s powerful and it’s life giving. And now, more than ever, we know it’s not something to be taken for granted. 

Spring of 2020 is etched in my memory as I’m sure it is for so many of you. 

It was in the height of those moments where we debated how to best help leaders create the mindset, growth, and communities we knew were critical to rising above the hopelessness and fear of the pandemic.  

There were a lot of questions and doubts in creating online communities and we struggled with the following MIS-assumptions:

  • Real connection couldn’t be found online
  • Online communities couldn’t be powerful 
  • People wouldn’t carve out time or show up for online groups

In our experience, none of this has proven true. 

In fact, by building powerful online communities, people are engaging even more than they did before Covid hit. 

They are showing up in our groups because they are credible, curated, effective, and powerful. And leaders are getting growth, connection, progress, awareness, friendships, and so much more. 

We know you want this – we are designed for it.

And we want to help.

Watch out next week for an announcement about a NEW opportunity to do community with Interleap.