As community professionals, we’re practically allergic to saying ‘no’ and will almost always strive to find a way regardless of the complexity, challenges, and the headaches. The mantra of ‘yes, I can’ or ‘I’ll figure it out’ prevails. However, this session designed by Jillian Bejtlich of Calendly and Rachael Silvano of Zapier challenges the conventional agreeable default by exploring when saying “I think not” might be the more strategic (and self-preserving) choice.
Drawing on very real world experiences spanning Jillian and Rachael’s combined careers, we’ll delve into real scenarios where community wasn’t the answer – sometimes not now, sometimes not ever. Some of their stories include doing the work of ten with a team of negative five, building dynamic programs overnight, and the fairytale of immediate ROI.
Attendees can expect to gain insights into: Assessing organizational readiness; is this a want, need, or a fever dream? Understanding driving values and alignment with potential community purposes Recognizing potential pitfalls that would send the best intentioned communities into a deep unrecoverable pit of failure
Come for story-time; leave with actionable advice on how to best navigate the shifting sands of all things community building.
