The question may seem trivial, but it is one that often arises: «is a perfect community possible?»
Obviously not ☺… but you can work in that direction!
Over time, I have already had the opportunity to be part of some communities, and what I have been able to learn from my experience I want to share, as I am now part of the LPI Community. Or huddle, if you want to put it in a more… penguinish way.
First things first: there must be shared purposes that go far beyond the practical level, not only concerning the most superficial aspects and, the fact that, once they obtained what they were looking for, people would no longer have a real reason to be part of that community.
The sense of involvement, combined with the need for belonging, must be continuously nurtured.
What I am talking about here is the concept of continuous growth, but based on the community’s shared values, so that the community members can improve themselves.
A well-structured community makes you «feel safe»: you get this beautiful awareness of not being alone; you feel the strong support from the other individuals who share your mindset and can actually help you on «task-based» issues.
LPI has been working hard for a long time to go towards this direction, and with a very flexible approach…
The Membership Program is all about giving a voice, a space, to the community’s people, and about being able to value their feedback on community activities, from a global point of view.
And it becomes straightforward to develop a strong sense of involvement in the project, within this framework.
Communities that are based on shared experiences tend to harmonize and synchronize their members’ thoughts and actions quickly, even better if some practical recognition strengthens everything: precisely what is happening in LPI.
In my case, I have been able to share my voice through an editorial path I am really enthusiastic about, and in which I am happy to have found the availability and competence of Max Roveri: thank you, Max, for supporting me in this journey, with great professionalism and with enormous enthusiasm: the history of me and my LPI training path, from LPIC-1 certification to LPIC-3 (and counting…); of the structure, mindset and framework for the exams preparation; of the practical implications that these results have brought to my working career: all of that is now a story, and I find that pretty cool ;-).
Having the wonderful opportunity to tell my story, as it is already happening and going to happen for many other professionals as well, through the “Share your voice” [https://www.lpi.org/community/write] initiative, is a great opportunity for nurturing all the potential of a community, and the work that community carries out, through the eyes and words of that very community in its making, in its unfolding.
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