5 Steps to Creating Your Own Tribe

Whether it is in business like the loyal tribe of raving fans that companies like Nike, Zappos, and Apple have created, or in a family like the tribe of the Kennedy’s or the Trumps, you have the opportunity no matter where you are in life and business to build your own tribe.

A tribe is no particular size, and occurs organically (this is not about spamming or buying lists). A tribe matters because together we all go farther. A tribe is another word for a community. A community is a collection of like minded people who share common values and beliefs and will put their joint efforts toward a common goal. The goal is about a big impact; it could be more sales, a political victory, a cure for disease, philanthropic achievement, or anything else imaginable.

What may take an individual a lifetime or longer to accomplish, a committed community, henceforth known as a tribe, can achieve in much less time.  It is the 1+1+3 formula and in a tribe that becomes an exponential and unstoppable force.  Yes, that force can be good (Mother Theresa’s Tribe) or evil (Taliban.)

There are five essential building blocks to create, grow, and maintain your tribe.

1. Define Your Ideal Tribe.  You must know clearly WHO the right fit is for your tribe. What are the qualities, experiences, backgrounds, values, beliefs, and more that they hold in common?
2. Create a Manifesto.  This defines the beliefs and values concretely and simply both for the tribe and for those who want to understand the tribe and know more about it. It can take the form of an engaging series of statements like Women in Business (Australia) or can be a multi-page document that goes into great detail like the Blogger’s Manifesto.
3. Act Consistently and Persistently.  As the leader of your tribe, you must be consistent and persistent in your actions and your presence. Whether you use the social networks, blogging, an ezine, email, speaking, or other means of communication, you are the core of the tribe and as that core, must be a cornerstone and a rock.

4. Nourish Your Tribe with Value.  Your tribe builds around you because they know, like, and trust you. They feed on the value, experience, expertise, and warmth you bring to them.  Feed them well.

5. Reward Your Tribe with Gratitude.  Always be gracious with your tribe, it is an honor and a privilege to have a tribe.  They may be in more than one tribe for more than one reason, what matters is that they are in yours and because of that expect something from you consistently and persistently and will give back with their support, their sharing of your words, and their own gratitude.

Building a community, fostering your own tribe is about stepping out of the small self you are and moving into the bigger self you can be when going farther together.  This is about making a difference not one at a time but instead a tribe at a time.

What ways have you tried to build a community? Share what has worked and what hasn’t worked for you!

Read my related post on Finding Your Tribe: Close Encounters of the High School Kind

Don’t forget to Subscribe to my RSS feed, Like me on Facebook, or Follow me on Twitter!