Moving Together

You can get there fast, by yourself… Or you can get there slow, and have everyone make it together. I’m sure you’ve heard some variation of this adage before. I’m experiencing a personal dilemma around it on a daily basis. It can be a tough choice at times, and gets really tempting to leave everybody behind when you have the goal in sight.

But you can’t.

TEAM CONCEPT

I just read an awesome post by my friend, Chris Brogan, about building and being part of community. flashback sidenote ~ for some reason while I read the post, the ghosts of Air Force Academy rifle runs past started shouting “EVERYBODY MAKES IT!”

All kidding aside, there was a lot of truth in those words… as much as I loathed it while somebody was yelling them at me.

The big take away I got from the school I went to was that nobody does it alone, they made sure of it. This resulted in my understanding that life is a lot better when you get through tough tasks while sharing the experience with your buddies. An understanding that has transformed into my view on the word community.

To me, community is making sure that we all move and make it together. It’s not easy.

NUMBER ONE WAY TO BUILD COMMUNITY

There are no secrets here. If you want to build community, you have to put yourself out there while remembering to be yourself. They’re equally important, in my opinion.

get out there What do I mean by put yourself out there? For starters, you need to get up and go to the other person… whoever the other person may be. Then you need to repeat step one over and over. Reach out, send a note, pick up the phone, walk over to their desk… be that guy or girl who isn’t afraid of awkward moments.

You will get made fun of… make fun of yourself. You will get yelled at… keep your head up and smile. You will be ignored… don’t stop pushing.

be yourself What do I mean by be yourself? I’ve always thought of being yourself as owning the image you portray. Owning the clothes you wear. Owning your hair style. Never hiding or being apologetic for who you are and what you represent.

The more I work, the more I’m convinced of this mentality. Community is built this way.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I’m interested to read your thoughts on community. How it’s built, how it grows, and how it’s maintained… Do you like to rush off and get things done? Or are you the type of person who is able to bring everybody with them? Please let me know in the comments below.