Thinking about building community?

Who can help me build community?

I can, and I have. 

I've worked with CEOs, executive teams, founders, coaches, team leaders, small business owners and local change leaders; helping people create the conditions for better connection, greater participation, stronger leadership and meaningful collective action.

I've helped organisations build communities that create measurable collective performance, and government enterprises have even brought me in to transform the people responsible for building community in society. 

Whether you're starting with an idea, bringing an existing group together, growing a network, embedding social infrastructure or trying to turn a collection of members into something that feels like a real community, coaching can help you make sense of what you're creating and what it needs to thrive.

You don't need to have a community strategy.

You don't even need to know whether you have a community yet.

You can start with a question:

“I think these people need to come together. Where do I start?”

That's a good place to begin.

How do I start building community?

Start with purpose.

Why should this community exist?

What becomes possible because these people are connected?

Who is it for?

What would make people want to belong?

And perhaps most importantly:

What could these people accomplish together that they couldn't accomplish alone?

We'll explore those questions before jumping into platforms, programs, events or engagement tactics.

Because community isn't something you install. It's something people create together.

Do I have a community worth building?

Sometimes the best coaching question is not:

“How do I build this community?”

It's:

“Should this become a community at all?”

I'll help you explore whether there's a genuine shared purpose, a reason for people to connect, and the potential for meaningful participation.

Sometimes the answer will be yes.

Sometimes the idea needs to change.

And sometimes you'll discover that what you need isn't a community.

Finding that out early can be incredibly valuable.

How do I turn a group into a community?

A group isn't necessarily a community.

Neither is a mailing list, a membership database, a Slack channel, a LinkedIn group or a regular event.

Community begins to emerge when people experience connection, belonging, purpose and the opportunity to contribute.

So if you've already brought people together but something feels missing, we can explore what's getting in the way.

• Are people connecting with each other?
• Do they feel safe enough to participate?
• Do they understand why they're here?
• Are they contributing, or simply consuming?
• Is ownership spreading beyond the person who started it?
• Does the community have energy of its own?

These are community leadership questions. 

How do I create genuine belonging?

Belonging can't be manufactured with branding, messaging or another engagement campaign.

People belong when they experience themselves as part of something with other people.

That means paying attention to the relationships, behaviours, rituals, language, purpose and opportunities for contribution that shape the experience of being in the community.

I'll help you explore what your community needs in order for people to move from:

“I'm a member”

to

“These are my people.”

How do I create genuine belonging?

Belonging can't be manufactured with branding, messaging or another engagement campaign.

People belong when they experience themselves as part of something with other people.

That means paying attention to the relationships, behaviours, rituals, language, purpose and opportunities for contribution that shape the experience of being in the community.

I'll help you explore what your community needs in order for people to move from:

“I'm a member”

to

“These are my people.”

How do I get people to participate?

You can't build a thriving community if everyone is waiting for the community leader to make everything happen.

The goal isn't simply to get people to attend.

It's to create the conditions for people to participate, contribute and take ownership.

Together we can explore:

What would people genuinely want to contribute?

What makes participation easy and meaningful?

Where could leadership emerge from within the community?

How do we create momentum without making the community dependent on one person?

How do I lead a community without controlling it?

This is one of the central challenges of community leadership.

The more you try to control a community, the less ownership other people can have.

But stepping back doesn't mean disappearing.

Community leadership is about creating the conditions, boundaries, purpose and culture in which people can do meaningful things together.

My role is to help you work out what that looks like in your particular community.

What does good community leadership look like?

For me, community leadership isn't about being the most visible person in the room.

It's about helping a community become capable of leading itself.

That means creating conditions where people can:

• connect with one another
• feel safe enough to contribute
• find meaning and purpose
• bring their energy and ideas
• take responsibility
• develop leadership
• act collectively

My approach is grounded in four conditions:

Connection × Safety × Drive × Energy

When those conditions come together, communities can become remarkably powerful.

How do I build community around a shared purpose?

Start with the purpose — but don't stop there.

A purpose may bring people together.

Participation is what turns them into a community.

We'll explore how your purpose translates into relationships, experiences, contribution and collective action.

The question becomes:

“What are we here to do together?”

rather than simply:

“What are we here to talk about?”

How do I build community inside an organisation?

Community isn't limited to standalone membership communities.

It can transform how organisations work.

I work with leaders exploring questions such as:

• How do we create stronger connections across teams?
• How do we build belonging?
• How do we create greater collective ownership?
• How do we develop communities of practice?
• How do we enable people to lead from wherever they are?
• How do we create a culture of participation rather than compliance?
• How do we harness the power of community to create change?

Because sometimes the community you're trying to build isn't an organisation around the organisation.

It's a different way of being the organisation.

What could our community achieve together?

This is where community gets really interesting.

The point isn't simply to have a healthy community.

The point is to discover what becomes possible because the community exists.

More connection.

More ideas.

More capability.

More leadership.

More action.

More impact.

The community becomes a source of possibility that no individual member could create alone.

My approach to community coaching

I use my COMMUNITY Coaching Model to help leaders explore the conditions that allow communities to thrive:

• Connection
  Do people know and value one another?
• Safety
  Do people feel able to participate, experiment and contribute?
• Drive
  Is there something meaningful pulling people forward?
• Energy
  Does the community generate momentum of its own?

These aren't boxes to tick.

They're lenses through which we can understand what's happening in your community and what might need to change.

You don't need to know what you're doing yet

You might already have hundreds of members.

You might have a community that isn't working.

You might have a network you want to transform.

Or you might simply have an idea:

“I think there's something here.”

You don't need a finished strategy before you talk to me.

That's what the coaching is for.

We'll work out what you're trying to create, whether community is the right vehicle, what your people need, and what you can do next.

Community coaching for people who are building something together

I work with:

• people starting a new community
• founders building community around an idea, product or purpose
• community leaders and managers
• people turning networks into communities
• leaders transforming existing communities
• organisations developing community-led approaches
• people exploring collective action and social impact
• anyone asking whether their idea could become a community

If you're building community, leading community, or wondering what's possible through community, I'd love to talk.

Let's start with the question

You don't need a pitch.

You don't need a strategy.

You don't need to know exactly what you need.

Bring me the question you're wrestling with.

“How do I build community?”

“Is this actually a community?”

“Why isn't my community working?”

“How do I get people to participate?”

“How do I lead without controlling?”

“What could these people achieve together?”

We'll start there.

I'm Adam Bower, The Community Leadership Coach.

Thinking about building community? Let's talk.

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