Communities (and DAOs) need Stewards
Effective community leadership requires stewarding both the community and individual members along their journey to maturity
Mutuality and agency are the driving forces that turn communities into self-sustaining and self-reinforcing organisms. Mutuality ensures members are aligning to a common purpose and shared values based on symbiotic and reciprocal benefits, which in turn is a prerequisite for members to commit agency by actively participating and tangibly contributing to the community. When communities reach this stage of maturity, leaders can take a backseat as there is a strong sense of belonging amongst members who increasingly self-initiate activities to grow the community and advance its purpose.
However, it takes time and effort to get there. Managing a community through its lifestages to maturity requires a deliberate and situational approach to leadership, adapting and flexing core community building, growth and engagement activities along the way. Communities are dynamic and require different activities at different stages of their lifecycle. Who to engage and how, is very much guided by where the community is along its lifecycle.
Community lifecycle
The community lifecycle concept isn’t anything new. Iriberri and Leroy started talking about it back in 2008 in their article A Life Cycle Perspective on Online Community Success. The framework evolved over the years, with most adaptations referencing 4 to 5 stages, from early inception to maturity and eventually mitosis or forking.
I recently came across a slightly different approach to wording the different stages, but in essence they relate to the same 4 to 5 community life stages:
1) Sensory Development: Creation & Set up
2) Sense of Trust: Content & Engagement
3) Sense of Community: Growth
4) Sense of Belonging: Maturity
5) Sense of Connection: Sustainability and Autonomy
Community Life Cycle — Sense & Forum | No Nonsense Community Management (senseandforum.com)
At the early inception stage, it is important to weave from the inside out and build critical mass and vibrancy with a core group of highly committed members and co-leaders. During the growth stage you will be recruiting more members, actively initiating community initiatives, establishing deeper relationships and greater trust between members, and really establishing a sense of belonging. Once the community reaches a state of stability and maturity, a leader may adopt a more participative or facilitative style, working with the community to identify shared goals and values and encouraging collaboration and co-creation. Only when a community reaches the self-sustaining stage, it can go into independence mode — a time when the community will run on its own inherent fuel, find other common interests and organically create subgroups.
Situational leadership
Situational community leadership refers to the approach of adapting one’s leadership style to the specific needs and characteristics of a community in a particular situation. This means that the leader is aware of where the community is along its lifecycle while being responsive to the needs of the community and adjusting their leadership approach accordingly.
As the size of the community increases, it could outgrow the passion, connectivity and shared identity that it once had, which may cause activity levels to drop. Once the belongingness drops, the members don’t feel like they are valued and the sense of community diminishes. It is essential to come back to review, change and adapt to keep things updated and fresh to ensure members stay engaged and the community continues to grow.
Effective situational leadership involves being able to adapt one’s leadership style to the needs and characteristics of individual community members, as well as the needs of the community as a whole. This may involve taking a more directive approach with some members, providing clear guidance and direction, while taking a more participative approach with others, involving them in decision-making and encouraging collaboration.
Member journey
To steward members through their personal community journey, a leader using a situational approach will be proactive in identifying the needs of individual members and offering support and guidance as needed. This may involve personal onboarding, providing resources and coaching, as well as being available to listen and offer guidance and support when needed.
Stewarding a community member’s journey refers to supporting and guiding members as they progress through various stages of involvement within a community. Depending on where they are along their commitment curve (see below), a different situational style of leadership will be needed to guide and engage community members:
- Discovery and onboarding: As a community leader, it’s your job to welcome newcomers and show them around. Think of yourself as the host of a party. Help new members get oriented to the community and its culture, values, and goals. Provide information about community resources, connect them with other members, and trigger them get involved in activities and events.
- Coaching and support: Offer guidance and support to help community members participate and contribute. Show appreciation and recognition for the contributions and achievements of community members. Make sure that community members have access to the resources and support they need to succeed. This can include providing access to training, education, or other resources that can help them grow and develop.
- Delegating: As members take on more initiative and leadership, take a backseat and provide them space and resources to take on more responsibilities. Assign community-wide or project-specific roles to members that have demonstrated relevant commitment and skills.
The Community Commitment Curve: An Introduction — Gather Community Consulting
Steward leadership
The ability to navigate between directing, coaching and supporting styles of leadership, is what defines true stewardship. Under servant leadership, the leader exists to serve the team members. With traditional leadership, it’s the other way around: the team serves the leader. Steward leadership is different: a steward leader cares for the team members, the community, and society as a whole. This includes taking actions that support the long-term health and sustainability of the community, as well as ensuring that the needs and well-being of individual community members are taken into account.
At their essence, steward leaders are fully invested in something bigger than themselves. They combine both deep personal engagement with a bigger-than-them transcendent perspective that allows them to make lasting impacts in the lives of others.
Reasons steward leadership is powerful and effective (fastcompany.com)
Steward leadership results in engaged members who are invested in the community’s mission, vision, and values. Stewardship is ultimately about helping members grow and accomplish their own goals in addition to helping the community at large progress towards its purpose. As such steward leaders are:
- stewards of purpose: clarifying community purpose and member expectations
- stewards of growth and development: coaching and empowering members to find their place and contribute
- stewards of relationships: connecting members to eachother
- stewards of collaboration: creating opportunities for collaboration & co-creation
- stewards of resources: responsibly managing and protecting resources within a community
Stewards of positivity
In summary, community vibrancy requires a style of leadership that creates a culture of purpose, inclusivity, connection and collaboration, and one that provides resources, coaching and support to help community members thrive. In short, communities need stewards of positivity:
- Promoting inclusivity and diversity: encourage a diverse range of voices and perspectives within the community, and work to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members.
- Fostering a culture of kindness and respect: encourage community members to treat each other with kindness and respect, and model this behaviour yourself.
- Fostering connections and relationships: encourage community members to build connections and relationships with one another, and support opportunities for social interaction and connection.
- Encouraging positive communication: encourage open and honest communication, and work to resolve conflicts in a constructive and positive manner.
- Providing support and resources: make sure that community members have access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed.
- Focusing on the positive: encourage a culture of positivity by highlighting and celebrating the positive aspects of the community and its members.
DAO Leadership
DAOs are no different. They require steward leadership to progressively reach a status of Decentralised Autonomy. Hence, most DAOs start out with a more centralised approach where a core team of leaders take on the task of directing and supporting DAO members along their individual journey, instilling a culture of purpose and positivity, while ensuring that the right governance processes are put in place to steward the community and its resources towards the DAO’s ‘north star’.
Thoughts or reflections you want to share based on your own leadership or membership experience? Hit me with your comments!
