"The best of community does give one a deep sense of belonging and well-being; and in that sense community takes away loneliness"
Henri Nouwen
Even though the pandemic is now over in most places, its consequences are still lying around. The lockdowns and lack of social interaction to prevent the Covid-19 lead many to experience loneliness. For this reason, 6 out of every 10 Americans report feeling isolated.
In addition, other factors from our current society, such as online work and studying, take a toll on people too, despite the great benefits they have. However, how harmful is feeling lonely? how to solve it? why should you become part of a community?
Let’s find some reasons and benefits about why you should be part of your community!
Defining What a Community is
When someone mentions the word community, what usually comes to mind is the group of people that live nearby. Some extend this definition to encompass their entire town, state, or even country. This, however, wouldn’t represent a community but a society. In contrast, some would define a community as your workmates or classmates. However, these are what we call “circles,” not communities.
We can define a community as a group of people who choose to join because of similar interests. You can join any and as many communities as you want.
Are you keen on role games? Join your local Dungeons & Dragons club! Do you like debating and exchanging ideas? Maybe you could take part in a slack group or register in a tech community. Or are you looking to learn about coding? You can join Platzi Community .
Why Join a Community?
In previous lines, I’ve defined what a community is. Nevertheless, you might still wonder, why should I join a community? Well, there are plenty of benefits you can harness from them. Some of these benefits are:
1. Comprehension
Have you felt out of place because of what you like or think? It’s happened to all of us! With more than 7 billion people populating Earth, this shouldn’t be the case. You can easily find groups of people that share the same passions.
On many occasions, I felt alone, without people around me who were going or had gone through the same things and I had no one to discuss them with.
Luckily, I came across some incubators that created communities. Joining them was a breath of fresh air and comprehension, but above all, when they provided me with mentors, I felt an exponential growth, the assurance and confidence that I was making good decisions.
That’s why I created Lidr.co , the ecosystem for emerging tech leaders where you can get the support, resources and guidance I missed. Democratizing the access to the right components of a successful transition to management and further growth as a leader will enable healthier, more empowered and more successful tech organizations.
2. Interaction & Networking
Some have a hard time meeting new people or interacting. This is an issue introverts face daily. Joining a community helps you meet new people and connect and interact with others more often. Thanks to technology, you can even choose how to.
We at Lidr Community have created an exclusive networking channel where you can connect and engage with other like-minded souls!
💬 Imagine Linkedin full of #Techleads, #Engineeringmanagers, #CTOs and hundreds of tech leaders worldwide! Well..that’s what we have created for you. A networking tool for tech people, a safe place where you can engage with other peers to create great relationships, interact by internal messaging, filter by location, role, tags and more.
3. Support
Community members support each other. This is probably the main reason most people choose to join a community. People in your group can teach you, provide great ideas, and are always willing to hear you out. There, you’ll be able to speak your mind and talk about the issues you face. There’ll always be someone there for you that’ll be willing to try to lift you.
In our discussion channels , you can solve your doubts, share your problems or even help others with your experience. Think of it about a Stack Overflow or Quora but related to tech leadership. 💬
4. Progress
Even though people in a community have a common interest, that doesn’t mean everyone’s on the same level. In most communities, there are novices and experts and a wide range in between. By interacting with the members, you’ll be challenged to grow and even change your mindset entirely.
In addition, you can mentor others who might be a bit behind you. This will build up self-esteem, confidence and has the potential to expand your network. There’ll be tons of members looking for a mentor to show them the basics.
That is what I seek in Lidr Community PRO, to provide a stage for mentors and mentees who desire to learn from people who are or have gone through the same situation as them.
Last month, within our learning circle One with our members PRO, we learned about Mentoring Others, tips, and practical exercises to master this key leadership skill, and this is one of the results:
What is Lidr?
We’ve seen some of the benefits that people have from joining a community. However, there isn’t alone an answer to which community you should join; It’ll depend on your interests.
Nevertheless, if you’re an aspiring tech leader or Engineering Manager, nothing tops Lidr. Lidr is a safe ecosystem for emerging tech leaders to get support, resources, and guidance.
At Lidr, you’ll be able to use our growing audience, engaged community, communication channels, and tools for free. Here we are building a realistic, safe, and challenging environment where you can practice skills that matter in tech. Become a member, shape your brand, improve your communication skills, build digital products from scratch, and create a network.
Lidr community is the place to be, build a network, engage in discussions, share, and learn. It’s the place to navigate the management path together and grow the right way.
Surrounded by like-minded peers and experienced leaders, you will learn by doing the set of skills and processes that make engineers stand out as leaders: mentoring , communication , conflict resolution , 1-1s , effective delegation , productivity . and many many more!
Some Final Words 💛
We, as humans, always seek that feeling of belonging. Even though many think of themselves as loners, everyone can benefit from a community. Become the proud member of your community today and reach your full potential. Join Lidr Community for free and stand out as a leader in tech.
