The Alumni Society’s Post

Reminder: Business relationships can be fun! What common interests do you have? What community event can you invite someone and/or their family to? Even when it comes down to celebrating the 4th of July, having a SuperBowl party or even an event for your kids, think of which business connections come to mind for inviting. If you think they’re a good fit, invite them. This can open up whole new levels to the relationship. #buildingrelationships #conversations #communication

Reminder: Business relationships can be fun! What common interests do you have? What community event can you invite someone and/or their family to? Even when it comes down to celebrating the 4th of July, having a SuperBowl party or even an event for your kids, think of which business connections come to mind for inviting. If you think they’re a good fit, invite them. This can open up whole new levels to the relationship. #buildingrelationships #conversations #communication

Building and Growing our Enterprise Architect SAP Community I enjoyed the post and listing to the Youtube Community conversation that was highlighted by Chris Lockhart as I think about 2024 and further building and growing our Enterprise Architect SAP Community. I especially enjoyed his “5 Takeaways” from the conversation as reminders in building and engaging in a Community. 5 Takeaways: 1) People attend these events to interact, gain new ideas, meet interesting people, and to make connections - if you're building a community you need to understand their motivations and why people come together 2) Getting involved in a professional community starts with building relationships and networks over time in areas that you have a genuine interest 3) Go in with a learning, exploratory mindset without set expectations and be prepared to give more than you receive and contribute value 4) Breaking large groups of people into smaller, more intimate groups leads to better conversations and connections than one large event 5) Understand who you want to help, what they need, how you can help - realize people are actively seeking community and connections. I think of Professional Communities as “Communities of Practice and Engagement” and Chris does a great job of highlighting a number of the “Engagement” elements. Its all about the people. Thanks again Chris these reminders and for sharing. Thank you Darryl Carr and Whynde Kuehn for our Enterprise Architect SAP Community Australia tour within your Converge Australia October 2023 tour. “Earlier this year, my friends Darryl Carr and Whynde Kuehn ran a series of events called Converge Australia that brought together professionals across strategy, architecture, and community building with the goal of facilitating connections and sharing of ideas” True “Community to Community” collaboration in action and more to come in 2024! #sap #sapcommunity #sapea

Managing Different Generations Can Be Challenging, but Rewarding. When the editor contacted me and ask me who I had who could discuss the changing workforce needs and values, I knew that Irene Costello with her new bangs could bang this one out! A few months back, over coffee, she conducted a master class on the trials and tribulations of associations related to reaching and engaging younger members - as well as the "how tos" necessary to keep them as members. “𝘕𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘳é𝘴𝘶𝘮é 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳? 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨?” 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵, 𝘊𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥. More advice at: https://lnkd.in/gUdHnQQF

Real connections don’t need calling cards. Because when you can remember a person by what they said or how you felt above your conversation, you will know you have encountered a real connection, not just a transactional one. In our community events, we dive into conversations, share experiences, and truly get to know each other. It’s about creating lasting relationships where value is shared organically. You're more than an email address or another lead. The essence of our gatherings is authenticity. When you attend a Rainbow Warriors or Mastermind session, you’re not there to collect contacts; you’re there to build meaningful connections. Instead of calling cards, we exchange personal stories instead. I've had attendees remember each other by one funny joke or a relatable incident they shared. The communities I build are places where stories are told, lessons are learned, and communities are strengthened. Here we are in a recent event I hosted for Mastermind last July 17, cheering for each other's private successes, however big or small. What are you thoughts on community-building? Let's connect! #community #communitybuilding

Peer Networking is useful: duh. But how do you get your team or community to show up for each other and believe they have a unique perspective to share? I talked to three community builders who've mastered it. Check out our talk! https://lnkd.in/gKgSswm3 Max Pete, Grace Cheung, Mia Williams

🤝 Stronger Together! Let’s Build Powerful Networks. 🤝 Community support can make all the difference for Black-owned businesses. Whether it’s through collaboration, networking, or mentorship, our community can be our greatest asset. How do you think we can build stronger support systems? We’re excited to discuss this and more at tomorrow’s panel! While registration is now closed, we encourage you to engage with us here—your insights and questions are still incredibly valuable to the conversation. 🌱 Vote in the poll and tell us what matters most to you! Let’s build a thriving network together. #CommunitySupport #Networking #BlackOwnedBusiness #BuildingBridges #PanelDiscussion #GetTheBag #CollaborateToGrow

If you are a "joiner" of communities and are wondering how to get the most value from them, Leslie Greenwood has the formula! Check out her upcoming 90-minute masterclass on leveraging community!

Do you remember yesterday’s post on joining new creative and professional communities? I have some steps to share. Become more active with current trade groups. Revisit former business associations and consider rejoining. Identify one new creative community to join and prioritize your goals with joining. Building community is a fantastic way to start a new year. #buildcommunity #newyearnewcommunities #steveramosmedia #communitybuilding #newyeargoals

There are several reasons why peer networking is important for a community to grow and create value to it's members, but it’s easier said than done. Peer networking requires synchronous connection, and community builders are constantly fighting to be a priority on their members' busy calendars. Join us to learn from some peer networking pros — hear why peer networking is a vital pillar of their community-building practice, how they’ve convinced their members to show up for each other, and get inspired by tactics they use to make peer networking fun and meaningful for their communities. Shout out to our panelists for sharing their wisdom! RSVP with the link in comments. 🎉 Grace Cheung (Lattice) 💪🏼 Max Pete (Square)  😻 Mia Williams (The Colors of Her Success)