Community Breakdown: the old girls club
And a new podcast episode and NYC Gatherings
I am excited to share the next Community Breakdown with Mallory Contois, the Founder of the old girls club. Here we go with Mallory!
1. Tell us about your first post on LinkedIn that went viral. What were you feeling? And why did you decide to actually post about it on LinkedIn?
At that time, I was feeling really isolated and unsure of who to talk to about the work I was doing as a COO. I didn’t have a lot of safe spaces where I didn’t need to put on my best professional face, which resulted in a lot of pretending I knew what I was doing in public while I struggled and panicked in private. I finally expressed this sentiment on Linkedin and it turned out a lot of women in senior positions (particularly on male-dominated leadership teams) were experiencing a similar thing, especially in the years immediately following COVID.
2. How did you get people from this initial post to join a Slack? What did your messaging say?
I included a form for people to give me their email if they were feeling the same way. At the time I had no idea what I was going to do with that information, but I thought it’d be fun to invite everyone to come together in some way. In hindsight, I think what worked what that it was focused on us coming together around a shared sentiment, set of experiences, and value set – not around something i was selling or trying to convince anyone they needed.
3. Creating a Slack is usually a longer-term move. Why did you decide to create one for something like this unexpected situation?
Slack felt like a really natural communication medium for myself and the rest of this audience in a largely remote-work time. The majority of us were already on Slack all day long, and it was a platform where it was easy to keep things organized into topical conversation, which was the original goal. Also, it was free!
4. What do you think is the main value prop of OGC today?
It’s a space where women in senior professional roles with big career ambitions can take their armor off, and get real, authentic help and support on their schedule. It’s mostly async - we have members all across the country- and doesn’t require any live participation in order to get major value.
5. I have heard from multiple people rave about the engagement and connection in OGC. What do you attribute this to?
Authenticity and psychological safety. I try to lead by example and share vulnerable sentiments, which creates a safe space for others to follow. It allows us to break out of the restricting shell which is operating as a woman in leadership, and return to being humans who are trying to build meaningful careers alongside one another.
6. You are leading OGC and are Head of Community at Mercury. How do you set boundaries as a community builder?
I love the eisenhower matrix, which breaks tasks and to dos into four categories - 1. Important & Urgent (do now), 2. Important but Not Urgent (schedule for later), 3. Urgent but Not Important (delegate), 4. Neither Urgent nor Important (eliminate). It helps me focus on high-impact tasks. I also have great teams on both projects who I trust completely to execute the visions we’re pursuing.
7. Is there anything else you want to share about OGC or community building generally?
Leading a community of humans, large or small, is really heavy. If you do it right, you’re taking the wellbeing, progress, psychological safety, and success of other people into your hands, and simultaneously giving up the ability to connect with all of them 1:1. You have to trust your instincts in creating a fruitful environment so deeply – it’s not for the faint of heart. That being said, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever done and I’d give every ounce of energy I’ve poured into it hundreds of times over again if given the choice.
//
Thanks again for doing this, Mallory! Learn more about the old girls club here!
NYC Gatherings: check out my NYC Gatherings calendar for fun gatherings to attend in NYC!
🎧 Podcast Episode
This week’s podcast episode was a special one with Yena Kim, the Creator of the very popular Menswear Dog brand and business. This episode and conversation re-affirmed why I love podcasting and was the catalyst for last week’s newsletter.
In this episode, you will learn about:
doing work that you love
making it easy for people to collaborate with you
using fashion as a way to communicate and express yourself
how we are multi-dimensional and to find or follow work that is aligned with this
the growing creator economy and its importance to grow your brand or business these days and much more!!
To doing work that you love,
PS: feel free to reply back and say hi!