To lead you need to know something about building a community. Building and leading a community is not based on the “leader” but rather on the values they communicate through their actions and words.
Tim Ferriss has a large and strong community because he acts and communicates values (independence, freedom, discipline) that are attractive and desirable to a certain group of individuals.
Emmanuel Acho is building a community by acting and communicating important values (racial justice, fairness) that resonate with a diverse community looking to make real change in a systemically broken environment.
Dave Ramsey has a vibrant and engaged community because he acts and communicates his values (frugality, spirituality, responsibility) which are shared by thousands of people across the world.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who became the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress, is building a strong community based on how she communicates her values (independence, socialism, disrupting the status quo) in the noisy world in which we live.
Of the communities that you participate in, what are the values that resonate with you?What are your values?
Discovering your values takes time. It’s best done while working with a coach. You can do a values exercise in lots of places across the internet. I recommend this exercise (Mountains and Valleys) and there are many others online that are effective too. I have my values (I’ve been working on them for months) and am still working on correctly defining and articulating them. Regardless, my values are showing up in the way I communicate and act and the articulation of them is probably less important.
My invitation to you is to do the exercise. Do the work to discover your values and learn how to effectively communicate them. I would love to hear your results.
