The Power of Community – A feminine value

As I was pondering what an ideal life on Earth should look and feel like, it dawned upon me that one of the most important factors to a “happy and meaningful life” was to have considerable human connection. And we cannot depend on all that connection from our partners or families alone. For the excitement and growth of our soul, we need to interact with greater number of people which comes in the form of communities.

A community is a group that is formulated, because of a common underlying interest. The underlying interest can present itself in a myriad of forms – Sports, Social clubs, Work, Fitness, Yoga, Spirituality, Religion, Personal growth, Gardening, Cooking etc,

For me, my communities come from being part of a social club, being part of a women’s tennis team, being part of a spiritual group and from the schools I went to – Welham, and INSEAD. And now I am actively seeking to build a community for my clients. There so many amazing people in that group, it can only be but magic when they connect with each other.

How social connection and communities help Business

If your business takes the form of a service, it is almost non-negotiable that you also try to create a community within your business.

I was member of Pure Yoga and Pure Fitness for many years. It is by far the best yoga and fitness gym in Singapore and the region. The facilities are par excellence, the teachers very good, the equipment best in class.  I took many classes there, learnt a lot, but one thing it failed to do was help formulate a community for me. There were many women and men there, but we barely said and knew very little of each other beyond the mat. In fact, after being a member of Pure for ten years, when I decided to leave during Covid, there was zero effort made to retain me. I was almost hurt and appalled by the lack of respect for a loyal customer.  The result of that was that when I did leave, there was no real pull factor to get me back.  And even as they attempt to get me back today, I have little interest, despite my love for yoga and gym.

So Pure Yoga is a classic example of an organization that mastered all the masculine values – but failed to incorporate the feminine values in their business. The feminine values that take the form of connection, care, and community. My belief is that in this manner, the business will not remain sustainable for too long, even if it has real short-term gains.

Meanwhile, I joined the Dutch club to play social tennis, and instantly became part of the tennis community. Even though the gym is lousy, and I miss the Pure Yoga gym and equipment, the sacrifice seems equitable in exchange for being part of a community, a place where you say hi to others, spend a little time playing and a little time socialising.

The crux of the story is that – while there has been a lot of focus in the past within the corporate world, on perfecting systems, processes and products, there has been a lack of emphasis on care, connection, and community. If you want to create stickiness, to your business in the form of customers or employees, then put some attention on care, and connection. The most successful businesses in the world do a magical job of finding the right balance between the two. Singapore Airlines is one such example – that has excellent systems, products, and processes and then it imbibes all the care and connection into its business through its crew. And we are all aware of the stickiness of a Singapore Airlines.

For more on creating leaders and cultures that inspire and motivate people, please reach out to me for an introductory call Here or email me Here.