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Community is an evolving idea that shifts and morphs as we change, grow, learn, and change jobs, hobbies, and activities. I’ve often felt on the outside in many aspects of my life and didn’t feel a strong sense of community growing up. It wasn’t for lack of wanting it, but it was hard to nurture it for reasons innate and external. In some ways, I knew I was missing it; in others, I didn’t realize what was missing until well into my adult years.
My work environment has always been very important to me. I felt I fit in, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed the people I worked with. From the start of Q4i, Kevin and I have been selective about the clients we work with, and we’ve always been adamant that we only work with people we like. We feel very protective of the community atmosphere we cultivate so others can come in feeling welcomed, comfortable, and ready to learn and share.
The community I’ve created for myself in and out of work spans decades, with my favorite people ranging widely in age. I feel so blessed to find connection and joy with such a variety of people.
To me, #community means the people you surround yourself with, the people you choose and choose you, the ones you can call on and count on. The ones who will listen, commiserate, motivate, love, and kick you in the ass when you need it.
Kevin wrote about community recently in The Power of Us, announcing #Community as our theme for the year. You’ve likely seen it referenced in many of our other communications. We figured it was time to ask others what it means to them, and I’m delighted to share various perspectives I’ve collected from our Goose community.
For me, community means finding people and spaces where I feel supported and can support others. Support can manifest in lots of ways, but I see it as building people up, having fun with others, sharing common interests, learning from others and/or simply sharing space with others. As I've gotten older, community is something that has become even more important to me. I think the pandemic also contributed to that. When we couldn't gather for safety reasons, I realized just how much I valued it and missed it. Being in community is energy giving/multiplying for me, and I rarely regret participating in it, no matter how much I have going on. I've become even more intentional about growing and nurturing my communities, and plan to do this for the foreseeable future.
To me, a community is an ecosystem of people, places, and things that are interrelated to each other, where one piece of the system affects another. Historically, geography has been the primary driver, but now, this interconnectedness could be based on just about anything. We are living the transformation. I grew up spending 95% of my time in a square mile that was my community.
Now, I have friends all over the world, and I feel like I belong to many different communities, but they are not quite the same. YET!!!! The constant change has made it difficult for me.
Community resonates deeply with me – both professionally and personally. I believe strongly that real-world relationships should always outweigh digital relationships. However, most of my clients are not local to me, so community looks a little different.
Getting face-to-face time (in-person meetings, video calls, etc.) with clients/colleagues/friends is so important to making that long-distance reality feel so much more personal. Being in a community like Goose (even though I am in the design space, not benefits space), a business book club with mostly realtors, or design-related groups… all feed my inherent need for real community. These various perspectives feed me personally, which also feeds me professionally – a valuable takeaway.
Community is everything to me. I have a community at church, in my city, at NABIP, Goose, and with my family. During COVID-19, when we were isolated from each other, I was in school to get my bachelor’s in psychology. I was studying the positive impacts of exercise on the brain. I learned that exercise is good, outdoor exercise is better, and social outdoor exercise is the BEST, exponentially better to fight depression and anxiety! I started playing pickleball, and that community saved me, and it still does today. The group of mostly women I play with have supported, taught, and lifted me through some huge struggles.
When we are part of a community, we can learn, lift, support, and grow from each other. In this industry, I don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Others know more because they have walked this path before me, and I can learn from them. We, as a species, need connections to grow and survive. It is the same in our industry: We must have connections to survive and, more importantly, thrive.
We’ve all heard the beautiful African proverb:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
I don’t think there is a more compelling reason to embrace our communities than the potential it unleashes.
It makes me think of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how integral a community is to each level. We need a community to provide safety. Sometimes, it’s physical safety, but every day, we feel exposed, vulnerable, and intimidated. If we have to face that alone, it’s terrifying, but our communities protect us and give us the confidence we need to face the fears.
In the middle of Maslow’s pyramid is “love and belonging.” This literally describes "community” (friendship, family, intimacy, and connection). Without achieving this level and finding strength from our communities, we could never advance to the final two levels.
The first is “self-esteem,” which comes from the confidence and respect we develop for ourselves along with that which we derive from our communities.
The pinnacle of Maslow’s is “self-actualization,” which is becoming the most complete and authentic version of ourselves.
Some may shy away from embracing a community for fear it will diminish their individuality. The reality is just the opposite. We can’t become the most complete and authentic version of ourselves without a community that protects, loves, and respects us as part of their community and as the individuals we are.
Community is a beautiful word. By bringing people together around a shared trait (religious belief, physical location, sports team, profession), we gather and work together for the good of those within the community. While this looks different in each of the communities we’re part of, the goal of moving toward a shared good is consistent.
- As we gather around professions, we share wisdom and experiences from those who are entering the profession (shout-out to the Rookie PAR group!).
- As we gather around sports teams, we cheer our team on to victory (Go Buckeyes!).
- As we gather around our local communities, we desire smart development and good city, county, and state leadership.
- As we gather around religious belief, we work toward loving God, loving others, and pursuing a greater knowledge of God.
Without others, it’s easy to become discouraged in each of the above. With community, we have one another to encourage us when we’re down and celebrate our successes. We NEED each other.
At its simplest level, a community is a group of people. Gather a bunch of people in one place, whether that's a conference room, a Slack channel, or a backyard barbecue, and you’ve technically got a community.
But a community is so much more than a bunch of warm bodies gathered in the same place. It is a living, breathing support system. It’s a group of people who show up for each other, share advice, lend a hand, and speak the truth when it needs to be heard.
Going at it alone might sound brave, but it’s exhausting. And it’s unnecessary.
In a true community, you're in it together, and you grow together. You celebrate wins, solve problems, and push each other to get better. You become part of something bigger than yourself.
The power of community is in the commitment to lift each other up. And when that’s the culture, everyone thrives.
Content originally published by Q4intelligence
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