Designing communities for women: Focus on the needs you have observed & don’t get obsessed with numbers
This post is part of Unconforming’s Expert Panel — a series of conversations trying to answer one question: how can we design for women? We originally share these in our newsletter, Unconforming.
What led you to start Ladies Who Strategize (LWS)?
In 2016, I saw that the strategy landscape was diverse from a gender perspective, but far less so online. Women would rarely comment or post on the few strategy themed communities available, because when did, they were usually shut down, silenced, or bullied in some capacity.
Concurrently, I recognized that all the in person advertising networking events I attended often were in the same format: 20 minutes to grab whatever snacks were available and quickly chat with the people you already knew, a talk/panel for the next hour and a half, then maybe another quick opportunity to catch people before they ran home for dinner. It’s not an ideal way to meet people and build relationships.
Lastly, I worked with Aina Abiodun on a gig and she mentioned that moms in Park Slope were using Slack as a community platform, a totally new development! Soon after I started LWS, I found out about Ladies Get Paid and realized that Slack had huge potential for communities.
Author’s Note: Ladies Who Strategize is a Slack community for female identifying and non-binary strategists. It is one of the most engaged, empathetic & smart female community I am a part of. Apply here to join.
What have you learned along the way about creating a community focused on and for women?
Consistent face time is vital
It was a huge game changer for LWS when I started Lunch Break, a weekly zoom chat on Fridays. When the pandemic started I realized that a lot of people would be feeling scared, alone, and painfully lonely. Their careers would also be majorly stalling out. Positive, warm friendships with other strategists have made my career since I moved to NYC 7 years ago. I figured that the easiest way to help people would be to hold space for them, consistently, so they could develop friendships with other strategists. It turned out to be the very best thing for LWS, we are about to hold our 34th Lunch Break this week. This community really came together and developed into something unexpectedly supportive, generous, and genuine over the course of the past 8 months.
Leadership behaviors matter
I’ve also learned a lot about leadership, sometimes in an uncomfortable way. Holding yourself to a higher standard as a community leader will take anyone down a few notches, in the best way possible. People mirror behavior, so everyone on the lead team (Nishita Tamuly, Nathalie Crosbie, Anita Schillhorn van Veen) act with integrity, compassion, and never jump to conclusions- we all are working together to support each other and LWS. It’s like being in the least dysfunctional riot grrl band of all time.
Why do women decide to join LWS and why do they continue to engage on a regular basis?
I think some join for jobs, others feel like they need to spend more time networking, and many who keep coming back recognize that when they consistently show up they get oceans of support and care from a large group of people all over the globe. It’s a powerful feeling to be part of something that is overwhelmingly positive in the year of our lord, 2020.
How do the learnings from building LWS translate over to your work as a strategist?
From a strategic perspective, I’m slower to get to conclusions or have hunches - I better understand the importance of seeking out differing viewpoints and experiences. It’s made me more empathetic over zoom and more comfortable with tough conversations on a lot of levels. Directness when paired with empathy is a powerful tool for any strategist to have.
Also, most importantly, I’ve been able to see a massive group of people truly show that when they see good behavior they are eager to mirror it and value themselves and others. As the head of two departments at Character, this has been vital both as a leader and a boss.
The group is a living, breathing cheat sheet of tool knowledge, connections, and different approaches to strategy. I love that there’s a brain trust to equally help with kitten photos and competitive analysis methods.
What advice would you give to someone creating a community for women?
Think through what needs you’ve observed. The world is hyperconnected, so your value proposition should be clear, solid, and easy to understand.
Don’t be obsessed with numbers. If you have a group of 30, then it’s an intimate group of highly engaged members. If you have a group of 20,000 it’ll be a different vibe. Think through what you ultimately would like the group to do and the purpose it serves.
What are some examples you’re seeing in the world that you feel are truly designing for women?
Anything which promotes the many over the few.
About Kim Mackenzie
Kim Mackenzie is the Head of Strategy & Copy at Character, the globally respected branding firm, and the founder of Ladies Who Strategize (LWS), a community of 1500 female identifying and non-binary strategists. She founded LWS in 2016 as the first female focused strategy community and it has manifested hundreds of career changing relationships and life changing friendships. She lives in Brooklyn with a Kiwi husband and a Persian cat. Find out more about her and LWS here.