Revisiting: Family, Tribe, Community: Tribe Leaders vs. Community Leaders

On February 7,  2018 I posted a blog titled: Family, Tribe, Community. Here is what I wrote then:

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I don't know if other professions do this, but I often hear in my line of work phrases like: "My work family" and "I found my tribe." 

What does that mean? I looked up the definition of family and tribe in the Merriam-Webster dictionary and they both had multiple definitions. I picked one for each:

Family- a group of persons of common ancestry

Tribe- a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest

With those definitions tribe seems like a more accurate word. Then I looked up the word Community. 

Community- a unified body of individuals; society at large

If life was a dream, and it was my dream... 

As a leader I seek not to create a family or a tribe, I seek to create a community. A unified body of individuals working together to create something better. We do not have to like each other all the time, we do not have to love each other or believe the same things. We don't have to have the same interests or a common characteristic and we certainly do not need to have a common ancestry. In fact it is more vibrant and valuable the more different we all are. That's how we create something better. 

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And now to revisit-

Short, simple, to the point. So why is it so hard? 

So much easier to side with our Tribe. Because in a tribe we all want the same things. We have the same purpose, mostly the same view points. A Tribal leader works to care for his people, and his people only. The other tribes are not only not his concern, but could pose a threat to his Tribe’s way of life. The tribe serves their leader, and that leader protects their way of life. (Anyone feeling uncomfortable yet?) 

Is that how we should lead a team? It certainly isn’t how we should lead a community.

A Community leader is concerned about the… you guessed it, community! - which by definition is made up of individuals or “society at large.” Which means everyone has value. Even the “crazy” dissenting voice. To her, that voice is a check, and an opportunity. An opportunity to ask more questions, seek answers, and find the most thorough solutions. But there are no winners and no losers. And let’s be clear, not everyone gets what they want (most people don’t get what they want because what they want is not what they need). The loudest voice does not mean it is the right voice. A Community leader serves her community.  She is not scared to face tough questions nor is she scared to ask the tough questions. This is how we get better. 

So dreamers, If Life was a Dream, and it was my dream... We’d have more Community leaders.

Do any of these ideas make you uncomfortable? Do you disagree? Dig deeper. Ask yourself why. If it was your dream… what do these words/ ideas mean to you?