You've spent hours putting together strategy documents and making presentations – and it worked! You got the nod from the C-suite for your community initiatives. Now you can get on and devote all your time and energy to the community and not worry about talking to the executives much anymore, right? Well, not exactly. Let me tell you why.
While the management team is crucial in allowing you to nurture a community, the rest of the squad is super important in speeding up your efforts. In the first scenario, people have concrete interests in understanding how your community efforts align with the company's business goals. How does it impact revenue, return on investment, onboarding new clients, awareness, etc.? These are legitimate questions, and you should have crystal-clear arguments in such heated discussions. Make sure you do your homework.
But it's not just the C-suite that can make or break your ambition to start nurturing a community. You might think that if you nailed your pitch and got the awaited YES from the management, the rest is water under the bridge. Oh well, the most challenging part begins. I don't preach that convincing your managers is an easy task, but it's not the end of the road either. In fact, the journey barely begins after you shake hands with those in the front row of the organization.
You’d better save some time and energy to communicate with your teammates about all the fuss around the community you're willing to build. From developers to marketers, from operations to customer support, each of these guys and gals has a nuanced perspective on what a community is all about. Some see it as a cash cow that eats way too many resources, and others see it as charity and have no interest in supporting it. With a bit of luck, many will be curious to find out your vision and see if they can contribute.
If you’re there, well done! Read more to find out how you can keep the ball rolling.
When I kicked off Upstairs Community by Pixelgrade (a year and a half ago), I was the only one passionate and excited about its potential. No surprise here, since I'm the gal who has been nurturing communities within the creative industries since 2011. However, I did not expect to get so much pushback from... well... not the C-suite, but my teammates.
The founders had some questions too, but they were pretty casual. They immediately understood that what I was trying to build was aligned with our company's mission, which is to support people who want to make an impact in their communities. Over the years, we had dozens of conversations about the fact that we want to keep building a company that exceeds its financial interests. We want to give back, help others thrive, and lead by example.
On the other hand, I hit walls when I presented the first version of the Upstairs Community. Meanwhile, we iterated a lot, and things became more evident and easier to grasp for everyone. But in the early days, folks were raising their eyebrows, starting with my fellow marketer to my developer colleagues. Why should we build a community? How does it help us increase our revenues? Is it for customers, at least? Why are we so exclusive? What do we plan to accomplish, after all?
It took me dozens of 1:1s to share my vision of the community I was determined to build. In some contexts, I managed to transform haters into lovers, but I felt the distance was way too big in some cases. I accepted that it's okay to face detachment and skepticism, too. In the end, I was suggested a new route to go, and I was making a big bet in front of everyone.
Even though my position is quite rare in this landscape — most community builders struggle with the C-suite more than with their peers — the reverse is still valid. Being the first ambassador of your community is mandatory if you want to convince people that it will pay off. Prove the dog will eat the dog food, right? This is a common mantra in the startup world, but not only there. You need to put skin in the game if you want to attract believers.
1. Go to the C-suite with a proposal after doing your homework.
Play the devil's advocate and see where it leads you. Ask yourself the most bitter questions and analyze your responses. Read stories from professional community builders to learn from their mistakes. Keep an open mind, and don't judge your management team for being picky. Often, they don't know, and they're not mean people either. Be curious and ask them about concerns they might have.
2. Present your community-building vision in a way that leaves room for feedback, input, and improvement from your peers.
Depending on your team size, choose who needs to listen to it at this point. Try to capture everything they throw in your face without losing your temper or slipping into justification. They want to have the opportunity to express their thoughts, so give them that.