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11d • 💡Research Notes
💡 Research Note
A question I've been sitting with...
Do people join communities... or do they follow leaders?
I've been thinking about today's conversations.
One idea keeps coming back to me.
Leadership doesn't begin when someone clicks Join.
Or does it?
What if it actually begins much earlier?
In a thoughtful comment.
An encouraging reply.
A genuine question.
A moment when we help someone without expecting anything in return.
I've started wondering if those are actually small acts of leadership.
They may seem ordinary in the moment...
...but could they be shaping how people experience us long before they ever become members?
That led me to another question.
Have I been thinking about community building the wrong way?
For a long time, I would have said:
"I run a community."
Lately, though, I find myself saying:
"I lead a community."
I'm not sure if that's just a change in wording...
...or if it changes everything.
Because when I think about leading instead of running, I notice my questions begin to change.
Instead of asking:
"What should I post today?"
I find myself wondering:
"How can I lead well today?"
And that opens another question.
What if leadership looks less like creating content...
...and more like creating belonging?
Helping people make progress.
Celebrating wins.
Building trust one interaction at a time.
Another question surfaced several times in today's conversations.
"How do I get my members to engage?"
I smiled when I saw it because I've asked that question, too. I still ask it.
I'm still exploring this, but I wonder if another question comes first.
"How can I lead in a way that invites engagement?"
That feels different.
Instead of trying to get people to participate...
...I'm wondering what kind of experience would make people want to.
Then another question surfaced.
What if leadership isn't just one part of a healthy community?
What if it's quietly influencing all of it?
Onboarding.
Outcomes.
Kinship.
Even monetization.
Not because we're better at selling...
...but because trust has been growing all along.
And then one unfinished sentence kept coming back to me.
"I lead a community for..."
It's amazing how one unfinished sentence can change the way we think.
It gently shifts the focus away from content...
...and back to people.
Today, my sentence sounds something like this:
"I lead a community for people who want to build healthier communities where people feel like they belong and make real progress."
Tomorrow, it might be a little different.
Maybe that's okay.
Maybe clarity isn't something we arrive at once.
Maybe it's something we keep refining as we grow.
So now I'm curious.
Are people really looking for the perfect community?
Or are they looking for a leader who's clear about who they serve... and where they're headed?
I honestly don't know, yet.
I'm still paying attention.
I'm still learning.
And I'm still finishing my own sentence.
I'd love to hear how you'd finish yours.
"I lead a community for __________________."
I'm curious where that sentence takes us.💙
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💡 Research Note
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