The new way to partner with People & Company
Kevin on shifting our services approach to meet today's needs.
In January, I wrote about how People & Company navigated our 2020, and I mentioned that our team is evolving how we work with clients. I’m excited to share what exactly that means with you today.
Since we started P&C in 2016, we've partnered with leaders and teams in every which way: six month consulting engagements, facilitated sprints, coaching relationships and kickoff trainings to name a few.
What we’ve come to learn is that there's no such thing as a perfect plan when you’re trying to get people to come together, stick together, and grow together.
Connecting people is an ongoing practice.
Whether we're talking about a group of creators, customers or fans, enabling community members to bring value to each other requires a responsive approach. Developing strategies and iterating on the plan are equally important parts of the work.
Last year we had clients positioned with exciting strategies and testing plans that were sidelined by the impact of COVID. To put it bluntly, how we had scoped our work fell short in a quick-to-change world.
If we aspired to be a best-in-class trail guide for community-driven organizations, we would need to adapt our approach.
Our new role as Strategy Partners
Based on what we learned last year, we rethought services at People & Company. Our new approach is to be a true Strategy Partner. Key word: Partner.
We're carving out consistent time with leaders and teams over time to help them realize their community building investments (at least 3-6 months). In this more flexible, ongoing structure we can iterate, troubleshoot and adapt together. We can pull what’s most relevant from our bank of frameworks, exercises and case studies to address the challenge at hand.
To us, the word "partner" represents more than delivering a service. We're with ya. Month in and month out. We’re your go-to brain trust for getting clarity on what to do next with your people. It’s the best way we know to realize a successful community building investment.
Who should partner with us
We are only able to work with a limited set of clients at any given time, and we currently have 2-3 open spots.
Get in touch if you know someone who’d be keen to have us in their corner. Your organization can be starting a new community program or recalibrating an existing initiative.
Reasons not to hire us:
You want us to create a strategy for you. Instead, we ask questions. We guide. We believe in the approach that you can develop with our guidance.
You need people to operate. We’re strategic coaches. Not contractors or consultants.
You’re looking for a polished deliverable. Our priority is your regular clarity.
We structure your thinking. We supply inspiration. We push you to bring your people into the process. And, we have a lot of fun doing it. 😛
“I came to People & Co immediately after joining Patreon, knowing that their team would offer the inspiration, guidance, structure, and accountability I needed to hit the ground running. Within the short span of two months, I hit them with everything from clarifying my team’s mission and focus to scaling peer accountability events.
Every time I end a People & Co advisory session, I feel confident, prepared, and just straight up jazzed and grateful to be doing this work.”
— Danya Shults, Senior Manager Community & Education at Patreon
