One of the benefits of Facebook and other social media outlets is the opportunity to experience the beliefs and feelings of others. A recent post by a family member said: “Find your tribe and love them.” It was accompanied by several joyful family photos. I couldn’t help wondering how this level of connection and commitment could be replicated in a work environment.
Then I read a post from a friend that said: “Behind every successful woman should be a tribe of women who support her.” The photo looked like a model in professional attire but did not show the model’s face. I couldn’t help wondering how this level of disconnect had affected this person and if they were expressing disappointment or desire for support.
As a business leader, how do you find your tribe and nurture them? As an individual, how do you find a tribe where you will feel nurtured?
To answer these questions, I explored a little more on social media. The first place I looked was on corporate culture icon Zappos’ Facebook page. Full disclosure, I was a happy Zappos customer long before their local popularity.
On their Facebook page were plenty of posts about its products, but I found a variety of posts that had nothing to do with selling product and everything to do with building relationships. The first post was a video titled Zappos employees “Celebrate 100 Years of the National Parks Service.” Zappos employees shared their photos, experiences and feelings about visiting National Parks.
Another post was from Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. His post showed him holding Simon Sinek’s new book, “Together Is Better” and read: “Tag a friend who inspires you to help others and be kind.”
After my feel-good experience with Zappos, I decided to look at one of my favorite author’s sites, Marcus Buckingham. His books on work and management principles are based on Gallup employee engagement surveys. I wasn’t surprised to see his cover photo had the words LOVE + WORK. I was surprised, however, to find so little engagement in his posts from followers.
Another page that seemed worth exploring on the topic of employee engagement was Drucker School of Management. My management mentors over the years were fans of Peter Drucker and I found a lot of value in the training I received from his books and seminars.
Again, I was surprised to see how few likes, shares and comments Drucker’s Facebook posts receive.
Although the folks at Buckingham and Drucker are not as adept as Zappos at building their Facebook followers, they do provide valuable insight on how company leaders can build, nurture and sustain great teams/tribes.
Whether you’re a company leader or individual looking for your tribe, alignment with and respect for your core beliefs seems to be the magnetic force that draws people in and keeps them working together toward common goals — galvanizing them as a tribe.
Have you found your tribe? Share with us by posting photos and your company name on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @BusinessPressLV.