Acts 2 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible…particular Acts 2:44, “All the believers were together and had all things in common.” If you read the book of Acts, you will quickly see that Christians were designed to “do life together.” I love that idea! In his book, Community Wins: 21 Thoughts on Building a Thriving Online Tribe, Bryan Allain gets that point across. Bryan is a Christian and you can see that play out in several of the things that he discusses throughout this book.
I was encouraged by reading this book to make sure that I continue to surround myself with a tribe that is going to challenge me and hold me accountable to running hard after Christ. This book has added a good bit to my thoughts on leading a team. I have pasted several things below that I highlighted while reading. I hope you’ll check it out!
- When it comes to YOUR tribe, we have to start talking about who YOU are. That’s ultimately what building a community is all about. It’s you standing up and saying, “This is me. This is what I’m about. Who wants in?”
- Think of your favorite leader you’ve ever sat under and write down three words that describe what you loved about his/her leadership style.
- Healthy communities are always exclusionary on some level. They are not cliques, but they are focused enough to turn some people off. Yours should be no different.
- What are some of the things that you will not compromise on? What are the things that you’d be willing to be rejected for because they represent why your community exists in the first place?
- Write down at least three things you’re going to be okay being rejected for, because they are at the core of what your community is built on.
- If you knew there was no chance of failing, what are three amazing things you would love to do for/with your community?
- Remember to always play to your strengths. Identify the things you are amazing at, and make sure you are focusing on them.
- Learn how to play to your strengths and be okay letting others play to theirs.
- Fight the comparison trap with humility and generosity, and I promise you, your community will be healthier for it.
- No one can tell you what your priorities should be but you, the trick is sticking to them with how you spend your day. Life is short; let’s spend it wisely and intentionally.
- Think back over the last twelve months. What was the lowest low and the highest high you experienced in the journey of building your community? Knowing what you know now, is there anything you wish you could go back and tell yourself during those times? Looking forward, how do you want to handle the next bad low and fantastic high?
- Don’t let a month go by without thinking about your endgame and evaluating how you’re spending your time getting there.