Tribe Building magic at a Conference – Re-connect, cross-connect, deep-connect
NOTE: This posts mentions topics of Integral Theory and Holacracy, but it isn't about those topics. This post is about making connections within and across your tribe by exploring commonalities and intersections you may not have
thought of. Going to a conference can be a tribe-building experience!
I'm taking a break from packing for the Second Bi-Annual Integral Theory Conference in Concord, California to write this post. I wasn't originally going to attend, but my friend and fellow Meetup Organizer Marc talked me into it. After bargaining with the summer vacation and budget committee (i.e. my wife) and committing to attend, I began thinking about all the possibilities for connecting. So in the interest of sharing and learning, here are the ways I hope to expand, deepen and strengthen my network during this trip.
1) Re-connect. This one is easy.
My first step was to send an email blast to all of my fellow alumni of the JFKU Integral Theory program. "Who is attending?" I asked. I was pleased to hear from a several friends that I had met in 2006-2007. These are people with whom I shared 80 hour weeks, wee hours, brain-bending assignments and passionate discourse. It will be a tribal reunion for us.
2) Cross-connect. This one is all about exploring new and emerging communities that you may be part of ... but didn't know it.
When I realized that there are likely to be a lot of people who are running Integral Theory Salons, Meetups and Study Groups in their local communities (like me) , I decided to try to find this newly emerging Proto-tribe (i.e. a Tribe that has potential, but that doesn't yet exist.) Maybe we can share ideas, practices and pitfalls? Maybe I can form new friendships? I reached out to some Salon leaders and to the Conference Organizers. Sean Esbjorn-Hargens, Conference Organizer (and Integral teacher extraordinaire) returned my request with good news. They will put a flyer in the registration packets - and reserve some table space during one of the lunches to connect this tribe. I can't wait!
This worked so well, that I decided to try with another cross-connection. How about people from my Holacracy (Dynamic Steering for Corporations) group? I've met many of these people online - and a few in real-life from earlier training, but it would be great to connect in person. I posted a request on the forum for Holacracy Practitioners. Lo and behold, a dozen or so will be attending! Brian Robertson, founder and CEO of Holacracy, took up the reins and arranged a dinner. Very cool!
3) Deep-connect. Strengthen your tribe at home.
I reached out to my own, local Integral Philly group. We had a Meetup to discuss potential topics. We decided that, all things being equal, I should try to attend topics that helped us to understand where the economy and culture is heading? What role does Sustainable business practice and the triple-bottom-line play in our future? Is a new generation of Conscious Capitalists emerging who will swap some profit for longer term and broader aspirations?
We've set our next Meetup up as a debrief by Marc and me. Hopefully, this approach will help us deepen our community even though only a couple of us are attending.
What techniques have you used when traveling to a conference or new location to expand or strengthen your tribal connections? Drop us a line below and share your secrets.
(Photo Credit: Bekaboris.com)
The Business Tribe – Social Tuning and the Vibe
If you were going to create a 21st Century "Business Tribe", what would it look like? How would it work? What would 
motivate the tribe?
Lately, the idea of business tribes has been on my mind. Two years ago, we experimented with "small business, small group consulting" where we coach 3-5 small businesses as a group. The offering fell flat. There were some good business conversations - and more than a few useful business tips... but not enough to justify the periodic meetings and commitment. Why?
The group did not "Vibe". The businesses had different models and were at different stages. By default, we had to generalize the conversation to fit everyone - or cover topics that left some participants out. Neither approach worked.
So, starting this week I'm experimenting with some friends on creating a "business tribe". The businesses and their entrepreneurs are all of the same:
- Business stage - we specifically chose 3 companies at roughly the same stage of their business growth.
- Business model - they share the same basic product model, although some are B2C and others are B2B. I'm wondering how critical that ends up being?
- World view - Used Spiral Dynamics to assign "memes" to candidate companies. I think this might be a very important intangible to consider.
- Pursuing the same objective (to be selected by the tribe). One of the members suggested this in our kickoff meeting. I really like this since it gets everyone aligned around a common activity, but specific for each of their businesses.
So, do you agree with these "tribe building criteria"? What would you add or change? I'd love to riff on this with you!
(Photo Credit: from http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/entrepreneurs-university-resources-a-win-win-for-all-335985/)
“Success Breeds Success” Steve Goodman on Building Entrepreneurial Community
Stephen M. Goodman is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Business and Finance Practice and has been with the firm since 1994. His practice, focused on corporate finance and acquisitions, is dedicated to fostering emerging growth companies in the region through direct work with clients and active involvement in the emerging growth community. As strategic counsel to startups in the technology and life sciences sectors, Mr. Goodman identifies companies with potential and then takes them from conception through product development, growth and beyond. Some of the companies he has nurtured include CDnow, VerticalNet, ICG Commerce, AirClic, ExcelleRx, and AANet.com.
Social Media Crowdsourcing for Social Good
We had the opportunity to attend a remarkable meeting about "Social Media for Social Good" sponsored by the Social Media Club Philadelphia. The first hour included a panel discussion featuring speakers from 3 local causes. The last hour, attendees were encouraged to brainstorm a broad range of Social Media strategies and tactics for a non-profit benefitting children and their families.
Northern Home for Children (@NorthernHomeFC) is the nation's oldest orphanage and child support non-profit. Annie Heckenberger (@anniemal), of Philadelphia-based ad agency 
Red Tettemer, raised them to the group's attention. She wanted to brainstorm on ways that Northern Homes could better utilize Social Media. Annie wrote the first idea down and stood at the whiteboard, marker ready. She was not disappointed.
The flurry of ideas did not end for a full hour. The moderator Gloria Bell (@gloriabell) did a wonderful job directing the chaos. There were still four hands in the air with fresh ideas when she reluctantly called an end to the brainstorming.
As a result of this impromptu brainstorming, they have already shown remarkable results. When the SMC-Philly meeting started, @NorthernHomeFC had 3 followers. Today, just five days later, they are up to 126 followers. Mary Fran of Northern Home tweets for them. She reported that they have already exceeded their first Twitter challenge of 100 uniforms in 100 hours (@anniemal contributed this first idea).
While it was my first meeting, our colleague Marilyn Moran (@PhillyMarketing) is a social media veteran and member of the @SMCPhilly operating board. Marilyn confirmed that what happened on Tuesday night was indeed unique.
The range of ideas ran the gamut of tactics to strategy including: platforms, audiences, content, memes, talking points, comparable non-profits to study, strategies and campaigns.
While the results that came out of this particular brainstorming would take a small e-book to fully capture, here were five of my favorites:
- The 100 uniforms in 100 hours was a call to action that was easy to get behind. Targeted, focused and with an interesting story behind it. It turns out that many kids in economically distressed situations can't attend public schools because they don't have the $20 for the required uniform! It sounds crazy, but this is exactly the kind of plight Northern Homes is struggling to overcome.
- Follow Journalists on Twitter. Susan Jacobson (@susanjacobson), Professor at Temple University's School of Journalism, reported that journalists are quickly moving to Twitter. They are publishing their editorial calendar. Christine Cavalier (@PurpleCar) layered on that the Journalists can be easily monitored as a group using a tool like TweetDeck or Seesmic desktop.
- But what if the staff at Northern Home doesn't have the time to write relevant articles for the journalists? "Consider crowdsourcing!" one SMC Member exclaimed. "Just ask your followers if someone could help with an article on a topic by a certain date." What a great way for someone to make a contribution if they aren't able to help financially!
- Collecting money online? Consider using the Chipin Widget . These widgets can be customized to your needs and embedded on the web site.
- Finally, taking inspiration from @headmutha Rocky Turner, the organization called Mothers Fighting for Others was highlighted by one group member as a successful Twitter fund-raiser. A quick check of Rocky's Twitter stream revealed what seemed to be a globe-trotting, world-changing mother hoping to just "pay it forward".
Now, a lot of this content needs to be organized, prioritized and otherwise scrubbed before Mary Fran has a full-blown Social Media Strategy. But I'm betting she saved weeks or months of time learning the hard way. Furthermore, the collective wisdom she tapped into was far beyond what any single agency could provide. Hats off to @anniemal for pulling the wisdom of the crowd around this one pressing need.
Got me wondering if any of you are using crowdsourcing to help with aspects of your marketing campaign strategies? We've used a variant of this approach by have the public provide usability and aesthetic feedback client Web sites through usertesting.com. I've also seen a number of people crowdsource their logo at 99designs or similar sites.
This blog post covers crowdsourcing for a social media strategy. What other areas could benefit? In what ways have you used crowdsourcing to help your team or your clients? What problems might you see with crowdsourcing a marketing strategy?
Also: if you were at at the SMC-Philly meeting, what are your thoughts? What did you like or not like about the impromptu brainstorming? Did you find it worthwhile? Did you learn something from it? What are other ways you can crowdsource social media strategy?
Please drop us a comment and let us know what you think about crowdsourcing your marketing?
Credit: Crowdsourcing Pic
