You know we love definitions. So here are a few.

Community: A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. The condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common.

Tribe: A social division in a traditional society consisting of families and communities linked by social, economic, religious or blood ties. 

Gang: An organised group of criminals. (Ha)

Society: The aggregate of people living together in more or less ordered community. 

Last week we chatted to you about your gang, and the importance of being ‘on the same page’ in terms of your values. We want you to make sure that if you have issues in your tissues with your gang you sort them out, but if it’s time to move on, then you do that. It’s kind of like the distinction between swimming around in a shoal (which is where we just congregate together) or become a school (when we swim along at the same speed and direction, and even turn at the same time). 

The thing is, it’s easy to swim along together when times are good. When we are footloose and fancy free, everything and anything seems possible. In the times of ease and flow, it might not seem like such a big deal to make sure you have people around who really have your back. However in times of duress, we want to know that we have a board of trustees that really are that-people we can trust implicitly. And who can trust you. 

It would be amazing if our BOT could be all of society, but perhaps it might be more likely that it will be a smaller group of people: our tribe or our gang. As always we would love you to make this conscious. So rather than being simply a shoal, swimming along for no real reason other than the fact that we all have gills and fins, we’d love you to be a school. United in a common purpose. Which means being there in times of fair or foul. (And 2020 has had a bit of foul so far.)

This applies to us with friends and family, but it can also apply to us in business. In Black Diamond Club they talk about having a ‘Gang of Five’ which is a group of four other businesses who serve the same ideal client as you, but who aren’t in competition. So this would be a group that you consciously choose, and then find ways to work together in cross promotions and marketing. Sort of like a mini BNI, but better, because you decide who to swim with.

In the current climate, we think it could be a cool idea to have a gang of five who you become close enough to hold each other accountable, to support each other, and to take your vision of the society you would love to grow, out to the world. Most of all, we would love you to start thinking about your gang from a service perspective: what can you do to help expand, listen to, or hold up the people in your gang? For if we truly are a school, when the other little fish thrive, then so do we. 

So this week we would love you to have a good think. 

Who is in my BOT/Gang of Five? (And if you don’t have one, who would you love to have?)

What can I do for my gang? How can we work together even more seamlessly so that we all achieve more? 

Let’s get creative to help our gang out.

It’s time for a pool party!