The Power of Community

“There is strength in numbers.” This is a basic truth, and it can apply to both positive and negative outcomes. Let’s focus on the positives: how communities or “networking” strengthens and positively influences us and our professional development.

EXAMPLE: Alcoholics Anonymous was founded on the simple mission to create a safe support community that would help people to obtain and maintain sobriety. This organization has been successful for 89 years because its founder instinctively understood that the journey to sobriety could not be traveled alone, so he invoked the strength of community.

There are countless of these types of organizations out there, but how does this apply to your own professional journey? Simple: Community becomes Networking. When you expand your network, you open new roads to new opportunities. Professional communities create these networks.

The trick with each one of us is to join the communities that speak to our personal and professional development and aspirations, and to join new ones when we change our courses.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE: When I was an Executive Assistant, I belonged to communities that understood and helped to support administrative support professionals, like the IAAP. In applying what I was learning, I developed a passion for business communications, so I joined communities that focused on these areas, such as the IABC. As I sought and secured roles within business development and marketing, communities such as the Cybersecurity Marketing Society and GovCon Ideation have become invaluable.

Of course, the worldwide community for connecting within all types of industries and roles is LinkedIn. Refresh your profile from time to time, and join LinkedIn groups. Participate in discussions within the groups you have joined, and enter your own genuine questions to foster your career momentum.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT COMMUNITY? Abraham Maslow was the American psychologist who created the hierarchy of needs in order to illustrate the basic requirements for human developmental, emotional, and psychological health and growth. Check it out — BELONGING is the third most basic need on the way up to self-actualization! We all need to feel like we belong. Professional communities are a resource to help fulfill that sense of belonging. Interactions within these communities build trust, and provide a safe environment to exchange ideas, collaborate, and fuel one another’s career trajectories. The most active communities have mentorships, job boards and hiring resources, as well as channels for sharing experiences within specific topics. When you join a community that is germane to your pursuits, you open a connected world that warms your spirit and feeds that third need in Maslow’s hierarchy.

Within an agency or organization, there are Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that bring together people who share common interests and/or purposes, and benefit from drawing upon one another’s strengths and shared values. Check out the ERGs where you are. Join one or two to strengthen your development and confidence within your role.

QUICK COMMUNITY BENEFIT STORY: As I pivoted in my career, I secured a marketing-related certification. During my studies, I was part of a community that supported its members with learning challenges so that we could help each other succeed within the certification program. My certification helped me to secure a new marketing management role. I wanted to “sponge up” as much marketing-related knowledge as I could, so I started trolling around on LinkedIn. That’s when I found the communities to which I belong now, one of which led me to apply to participate in this GovLoop Featured Contributor program.

Communities give us opportunities to feed our need to belong, while helping us to develop as professionals and active individuals. The communities you choose will depend upon your own unique perspectives and goals. Put yourself out there. Jump in. You’ll be glad you did. You may even learn some fun things, like how to make traditional flaky fluffy biscuits with the right flour (from a mentoring partnership in a professional group). True story!

The multi-faceted nature of Susan Powell’s professional background paints the picture of a lifetime learner who has always taken full control of her career path and decisions to apply her learning experiences in the most productive ways possible. Susan has brought her passion for writing and communications to every career upgrade and role, which helped her to secure the Marketing Director position for a cybersecurity company that she holds today. Fueled by her continued enthusiasm for earning applicable certifications, she continues to develop her marketing prowess and channel partner marketing skills. This former elementary teacher-turned-marketer is still a happy work-in-progress.