Building Authentic Connections Through A Community
This article was adapted from Episode 31 of the Elevated Entrepreneur Podcast. Click here to listen.
In today’s episode, we are joined by Tara Geraghty. Tara is a resiliency and mindset expert, community builder, speaker, counseling practitioner, REBT Mindset, and Confidence Life Coach. She has dedicated her life to helping people find their inner strength and reclaim their power. As a survivor of domestic violence and a mother of a stage 4 childhood cancer survivor, she knows firsthand the importance of choice, gratitude, and the resilience that comes with reclaiming one's power.
In this article, you will learn more about the power of authenticity and transparency, how to build a successful community and the power of gratitude.
Read on!
Authenticity, Transparency, and Vulnerability
People hear your heart, and your voice is your heart. You don’t need to be perfect. You need to be authentic. Being authentic and transparent attracts more people to you and puts you in a better position of leadership.
The world needs more people who are willing to be vulnerable and transparent. No one has it all together. We all mess it up, do the wrong things, and stay up to late, but we still have something valuable to bring to the table. You don’t have to wait to have it all together before what you can say is important or significant to contribute to your space.
You Don’t Need To Be Perfect Before You Show Up
So many of us don’t show up to give and utilize our gifts because we think we don’t have it all together. Whether it’s your kids screaming at you or having trouble with your husband, you are human, and this happens to all of us. We are all humans who make mistakes and are just trying to do our best; you can show up and be the leader you’re designed to be.
When we fall into the belief that we need to be perfect before we can show up, we deny all the people that we’re meant to be gifted by what we have to contribute. So whatever you are doing as a coach or business owner, you need to show up as you and help your team and clients show up—being your authentic self as a coach is giving people a platform to have their voices heard.
Tip: We all need a community where we are supported and reminded that we are significant.
Building A Community That Is Engaged
If you want to engage a following or a community of people who are paying attention, this is like a full-time job, and it’s a lot of work. Sometimes you have to hire a community manager, and when you do, you’ve to ensure they understand your voice and purpose.
According to Tara, if you want to build a Facebook group, you have to model your comments to maintain your voice because they can go down quickly. You need to know what is going on. You need to know who is there, and it’s not just about getting people on board. Anybody can join the community, but how do you get to engage them? This start by making them feel valued and significant and making the community a place where they want to invest their time.
Tip: The secret to building a community is making people feel valued. People will stay when they feel valued.
Accountability And How It Gives You A 95% Head Start
If you set a goal, speak it out loud, tell someone, and have them hold you accountable. Accountability gives you a 95% higher chance of getting your goal accomplished. According to Tara, having a group where you are showing up, being reminded about your significance and that you can do it, and being accountable to other members is so invaluable, particularly if you’re a new coach.
We operate on emotions and will have ups and downs in our path, but being in a space that allows you to show up, grow and thrive makes all the difference.
A community is different from an audience. It’s like a spider web where we connect people with great people and take the spotlight off ourselves and put it on our members. The more you take the spotlight off yourself and find other places to put the spotlight on your community members and let them shine, the spotlight will naturally shine brighter.
Tip: People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
-Raylen
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