5 LEARNINGS: COMMUNITY LIFE DURING CORONA
Community is key.Especially when you find yourself in an agile and vibrant start-up surrounding, exchanging with likeminded, sharing ideas and challenges is crucial. When COVID-19 kicked in, all the well-known networking activities, were challenged to the maximum. In times where almost everything happens online, keeping in touch with all existing KitchenTowner’s is a challenge, to be honest. And how can you integrate new community members in a running system without the tools used prior pandemic?
1. YOU KNOW YOUR PEOPLE BEST – CONNECT THEM ACTIVELY WITH ONE ANOTHER.
Become a matchmaker: Who’s story could help X? Could Y and Z have synergies?
2. CALL WHEN YOU COULD ALSO SEND A TEXT MESSAGE.
Personal contact outweighs written messages. Always. End of story.
3. SET UP A COMMUNITY GET-TOGETHER.
Wine tasting, quiz night, outside sport sessions, picnic in park.
4. SET UP VIRTUAL GATHERINGS APART FROM DAILY BUSINESS TOPICS.
Round table food scientists, Wom*n in Food, Virtual Coffee Break, Remote Networking, Virtual Facility Tour.
5. ASK THEM! YOU CANNOT KNOW IT ALL.
Connect pro-active even without a reason, start a survey.