Our master this week once led 40,000 people in a massive virtual dance party for Oprah. (Oprah!)
Even as someone whose dance moves look like a malfunctioning robot, I’ll admit that the concept sounded incredibly awkward to me. But looking vids made me realize that Agrawal is on to something: people are desperate for a relationship.
Radha Agrawal is a community architect, public speaker, and entrepreneur, helping companies (such as Meta, Nike, and Campbell’s) create stronger workplace communities. She is also the founder DAYBREAKERmorning dance party in 33 cities around the world.
Let’s jump into her three tips for nurturing your own community.
How to master the art of building a successful community
1. You need a community architect. (And no, not the intern.)
Before you scoff at the big old stupid post about “community” and “friendship”, let’s take a good look at some numbers:
- Only in 2023 one third of employees were engaged in their work
- Disengaged employees count 1.9 trillion dollars in lost productivity
- 92% of managers say that high engagement = happier customers
Or, consider a personal example: I met my best friend Kristen at the office a few years ago. She is now a bridesmaid in my wedding and I told Radha that I would turn down a job elsewhere even if she offered me $20,000 more because I would Mucha rather continue my weekly tradition of gossiping in the coffee garden at HQ with Kristen.
Community has the power to keep employees happy, engaged and willing to go above and beyond to keep cash flowing for your business.
To cultivate community, you must prioritize it.
“You have to hire a community architect—and I don’t think you’re giving the job to a rookie intern,” Agrawal told me. “Your Chief Community Officer should be brought in with the same level of seriousness as your Chief Marketing Officer or Chief Executive Officer.“
Once you have your CCO, you’ll want that person to sit down with the head of each department to understand the needs behind each role.
“In a disaggregated work-at-home environment, it’s hard to build a sense of camaraderie and loyalty within a company without first understanding who the people are behind each department. You will need to know the miniature ecosystems within the company and bring them all into one cohesive value alignment,” says Agrawal.
2. Work is not just for drilling‘ and it burns.
Agrawal admits that loneliness exists at every level – whether you’re a CEO, a middle manager or a new intern.
And Agrawal sincerely believes that work can be the solution to that loneliness. In fact, she met her husband in the office.
“It is important to remember that workspaces are not just drill and burn spaces. These are spaces for socializing, and that’s where you actually achieve and receive your social connections the most.“
Agrawal believes it’s a leader’s responsibility to understand how each person on their team wants to hang out.
For example, she is interested in newcomers in her own team: “I, as the founder of my company, want to understand and learn what the youngest members of my team want. What do they need? How do they hang out? How can I support them in their friendship? That level of curiosity is so important in a team.”
My own preferences for hanging out? Two words: Margarita night.
3. Off-site, off-site, off-site.
In the midst of a pandemic, I remember the awkward attempts to connect all too well.
Zoom happy hours. Remote scavenger hunt. Virtual trivia.
The effort was nice, but not nearly as strong one HubSpot hosted last March (resulting in a team trip to a karaoke bar, where we brought the house down with a soulful version of Celine Dion My heart will go on).
Agrawal emphasizes the importance of the company’s offsite operation as a chance to keep employees motivated and engaged. She also encourages more consistent personal events if possible.
“The important part is to give it a name and give it a rhythm. There is a sense of belonging that you create when you consider energy, intentionality and space.”
Agrawal gave me a few examples: Maybe your company hosts a monthly poker night, or creates a roller skating team that rolls around in silly costumes once a quarter.
If having everything in person is not an option, could you encourage mini meetups in different cities? And if not, how can you make virtual connections easier?
The easiest solution is yes nobody Your employees: What would make them feel more excited to come to work each morning?
“Too often we think of community building only as asses, but not as thinking, feeling souls.”
Remember, those thinking and feeling souls can contribute nearly $2 trillion in lost productivity – treat them like people and you might be shocked at how it affects the bottom line.
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/build-community-according-to-radha-agrawal
