It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
COMMUNITY.
There are different kinds of COMMUNITY in each of our lives, and we have needs for each of these.
This week I was reflecting on a couple of "Coaching Communities" I'm a part of.
Years ago, while doing research for graduate school, I was able to interview leaders from a number of different countries around the world, and I was trying to determine what needs leaders from different cultures had in common. At the end of a pretty exhaustive project, I identified 4 foundational needs. These aren't the only needs they had, but the different cultures had these 4 in common:
A Need for Quality Training: Training to help them grow in their leadership
A Need for Applicable Resources: Access to tools to use regularly
A Need for Ongoing Coaching: Someone to walk alongside them over time
A Need for Genuine Community: Connection with other leaders
I laugh at this list, because these are the needs I have personally today!
I Need Training: I want to continue to learn, grow and expand my understanding to better impact lives.
I Need Resources: I often scour the WEB or Amazon, looking for books and tools that can help me, and I often take it for granted that much of this is only available in my first language, English.
I Need Coaching: I value people that walk with me and speak into my life, who encourage me, who ask great questions and who hold me accountable.
I Need Community: Which is where this post started...I need to do life with others, and often it's with people that are in the same situation as I'm in.
In the late nineties, we built our first "Coaching Community" with leaders from a number of different countries in Latin America. We addressed these needs, and found a source of deep community among these leaders that gathered annually together.
In 2006, the vision of Leader Mundial was born, and we've been building and multiplying these "Coaching Communities" in a number of countries around the globe, because leaders NEED to be with other leaders. Hundreds of global leaders and coaches have participated in these "Coaching Communities" in the USA, South Africa, Ecuador, Nepal, The Philippines with extensions in other countries.
These "Coaching Communities" came about because we identified a need, and addressed that need, and it has become a great source of encouragement, relationship and leadership leverage over the past years. It works!
In your life, what are you doing to create COMMUNITY that fulfills your needs?
Are you being intentional about it?
Are you working at it and making it a priority
Are you waiting for someone else to come along and create community for you?
We Need COMMUNITY, Especially Now. Don't wait for it. Create it and thrive in it.
Chuck wrote following last weeks post:
"I identified so much with your word today. Thank you for your few words of reality."
Bob wrote:
"Thanks again Russ. Love how constant/consistent you are... with or without the crisis. Keep up the consistency."
Consistency is one of the foundations of an effective community!
I'd like to ask you to share with me:
Why is COMMUNITY important to you? Share one thing that is important to you, and share an illustration of what that looks like. Send it HERE.
I'd like to share these with others as a way to encourage them to NOT make excuses like I've made, but to embrace the importance of community in each of our lives. I'm working over the next number of weeks to re-connect with the communities I'm a part of, because I'm missed them so much! No More Excuses!
"Seek to understand everyone in your community" Unknown
"I was taken by the power that savoring a simple cup of coffee can have to connect people and create community." Howard Schultz, Starbucks
"The essence of community, its heart and soul, is the non-monetary exchange of value; things we do and share because we care for others, and for the good of the place." Dee Hock
Things I'm Reading, Listening To, an Watching This Week:
OK... here's a little something for you country fans. I've been listening to Darius Ruckers Essentials this week. It's country with a little "Hootie" in the mix. We all need a little HOOTIE and the BlowFish in our lives!
I enjoyed listening to the Tim Ferris podcast interview with Matthew McConaughey. Some great "gold nuggets" in this interview that is over 1 hour and 40 minutes long. McConaughey shares about an influential book in his life called, "The Greatest Salesman in the World" By Og Mandino. I'm reading this now.
I just read this short book by Michael Hyatt, "Entrepreneurs Will Save The World". Some good takeaways.
Yes, I'm a "golf nerd". I enjoyed watching Dustin Johnson win The Masters this weekend with a score of 20 under par, breaking multiple records. I even teared up a little bit as he hugged his brother who was his caddy. For those of you who don't golf or don't watch golf, you won't understand. Huge and Epic Milestone for him to receive the green jacket from Tiger! Someday I'll straighten out my drives, chips and puts and will make a run for the PGA!
I shared this book, "Get Your Life Back" by John Eldredge last week. I continue to work through it slowly, and have really enjoyed it! I encourage you to look at it. I'm ready it chapter by chapter and letting it sink in!