Ep 232: How to Be Your Best Community Member
Powered by RedCircle
How to Be Your Best Community Member
Many community leaders think they need a better engagement strategy.
In reality, what most communities need is better leadership.
A thriving community is not built because you have the perfect content plan. It's built because members see the behavior you want them to adopt and choose to follow your example.
Community Is Bigger Than the Founder
One of the biggest lessons from my conversation with Lauren Golden, founder of the Free Mama Movement, is that successful communities are not centered around the founder. They're centered around a shared purpose.
From the beginning, Lauren focused on creating a movement people could belong to. She was clear about the mission, the values, and what it meant to be part of the community.
That's how strong communities create connection. People become part of something bigger than themselves.
Culture Is Built Through Modeling
Many leaders try to create culture through rules.
The strongest communities create culture through example.
Lauren became the model member of her own community. She didn't just talk about the values. She lived them.
She:
Answered questions consistently
Hosted trainings regularly
Followed through on commitments
Showed up day after day
Members learned what was expected because they saw it demonstrated every day.
If you want members to engage, engage.
If you want members to support one another, support them first.
If you want consistency, model consistency.
Protect the Space
Healthy communities don't happen by accident.
They require clear boundaries and leaders who are willing to enforce them.
Lauren shared that protecting the culture early helped create a community that largely manages itself today. Members help uphold the standards because they feel ownership of the space.
The stronger the culture becomes, the less management is required.
You Can't Outsource Community Leadership
One of the most important points from our conversation was that authentic leadership cannot be delegated.
You can schedule content.
You can automate processes.
You can hire support.
But members know when the leader is genuinely present.
In the early days, building community required a significant investment of Lauren's time. Today, the community requires far less effort because the culture has already been established.
That's the payoff of doing the work early.
Final Thoughts
If you want a more engaged community, don't start by asking what content to post next.
Start by asking what behavior you are modeling.
Ask yourself:
Am I showing up consistently?
Am I modeling the culture I want to create?
Am I reinforcing the values I talk about?
Am I building relationships or simply broadcasting content?
Communities reflect their leaders.
When you consistently demonstrate the values, behaviors, and culture you want to see, members begin doing the same.
That's when a community becomes more than a group of people.
It becomes a movement.
Want help building a community that improves retention and member engagement? Apply to work with Shana at shanalynn.com
Stay Connected with Shana Lynn
Watch on YouTube | Listen on Apple or Spotify
To learn more about how I can help you, tap here
