Peers Over Beers - Community Experts Podcast

"Peers Over Beers," hosted by seasoned community experts Chris Detzel and Nicole Saunders, is a podcast that dives deep into the world of online communities. In this particular episode, the duo explores the challenging topic of navigating change and maintaining stability as a community manager amidst management turnover and significant organizational changes.

Nicole opens up about her experiences at various startups and at Zendesk, sharing insights from a roller-coaster career where she had to adapt to five different managers over a span of 6.5 years. The conversation centers around the crucial importance of adaptability in a community manager's skill set.

Chris and Nicole discuss several essential strategies for managing change and uncertainty, beginning with the necessity of a clear vision for your community. They emphasize that the vision should remain constant, regardless of the organization's changes. It should inherently drive value for both the business and the end-users, being independent of any single organization.

They further elaborate on the importance of documenting your community programs and their impact, along with building cross-functional relationships as internal advocates within the organization. They advocate for showing urgency, delivering results, and welcoming change rather than dreading it.

Nicole's quote, "Your community should have an objective that is kind of agnostic to all of that. It should be something that drives value for both the business and the end users that is not dependent on a single organization," encapsulates their philosophy.

Chris concurs, adding that community managers must consistently show the value they bring to the business. He says, "I think people do to some degree, right? I think we have to continue to build out the programs, build out the value and act as every other department does to show what value we bring to the business."

They further discuss how a community manager can smoothly transition knowledge and programs through organizational changes. For instance, Nicole recommends having quarterly reports to track and showcase community progress and impact.

Lastly, Chris emphasizes the importance of forging cross-functional relationships and nurturing champions within the organization, thus amplifying the influence and reach of the community manager.

The episode is a treasure trove of wisdom and practical advice, offering community managers the tools and mindset they need to thrive, even in the face of constant leadership and strategic changes.

Creators & Guests

Host
Chris Detzel
Chris is a versatile Digital Community Strategist with several years of experience. He has owned community vision, strategy, and execution. He is responsible for leading the development and execution of community engagement programs, creating compelling content for customer communities and acts as the voice of the customer. He believes that data should drive decisions as it is the key element of any long-term successful strategy.
Host
Nicole Saunders
As Director of Community at Zendesk, she oversee the Community Team (part of the Global Digital Experiences team), set strategy, define policy and governance, develop and launch new community products, and engage our user community. Our programs include: an online community, virtual events, user groups, community champions, customer advocacy, and an annual global virtual community summit.

What is Peers Over Beers - Community Experts Podcast?

B2B Community Strategist Chris Detzel is your host for this fun and straight shooting podcast for enterprise community leaders / managers and digital savvy professionals. With easy and natural inquisitive banter, your host will tackle hard issues facing community leaders and managers in their day-to-day struggles, and yes, sometimes over a beer. From starting new communities, digitally transforming enterprise culture, moderation, and globalization techniques are all up for discussion.

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If there’s one constant in the world of business, it’s change. As a community manager at a tech company, change is guaranteed to come swiftly and frequently. Your managers will turn over, company priorities will shift, new directives will emerge. While business agility is crucial, constant flux can be destabilizing for customer communities that require consistency.

So how do savvy community leaders continue rallying their communities effectively, even when the sands are constantly shifting?

Expect the Unexpected

First and foremost, anticipate change. Don’t assume you’ll have the same manager or team structure for years on end. Build programs with the expectation that priorities and directives will morph over time.

“Don’t always assume that you're going to have all the time in the world,” advises Nicole Saunders, Senior Manager of Global Community at Zendesk. “I'm always trying to get a couple pieces in place and then build on them really quickly. And working with urgency, I think, is a really important one. Just don't assume you've got all the time in the world.”

Have a North Star Mission

Make sure your community has a vision and purpose that transcends organizational changes. Your mission should drive value for both members and the business no matter which department you report into.

“Your community should have an objective that is kind of agnostic to all of that,” explains Nicole. “It should be something that drives value for both the business and the end users that is not dependent on a single organization.”

Document Everything

When turnover happens, you’ll need to educate new managers on your community’s purpose and impact. Make reporting and documentation a regular habit, even when it’s not explicitly required.

“The second that you are engaging with a new team, you're working on a new project, you've got a new manager, you're going to need to sort of read everybody into what the community is,” says Nicole. “I think it's really easy for all of us to assume that because our work is so public, most of the time people can just go and look at it and see it, but you really do have to sort of introduce people to it.”

Build a Broad Internal Network

Cross-functional relationships are your lifeline during turbulent times. Identify partners across the business who understand and champion your community’s value. They can advocate for community and provide context when new leaders enter the fold.

“Always be doing that internal networking, always be doing that internal relationship building,” Nicole urges. “It's just so incredibly important to have those champions, to have those shared resources, all of those pieces.”

Move Fast, Prove Value

When you spot a window of opportunity, move quickly to start programs and demonstrate community ROI. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Release a minimum viable version now to gain buy-in for greater investment later.

“How do you do that, right? And I think one of it is, one piece of it is work with urgency,” says Nicole. “If you've got a window to get something done, do it. I'm a big fan of doing like betas or pilot programs."

Leave Baggage Behind

Don’t stew over past nos. Re-propose ideas with an open mind—the context may have changed. And don’t get too attached to any one approach. Be willing to experiment and evolve.

Remember, as Nicole puts it, “the community doesn't belong to you. It actually doesn't even really belong to the company necessarily, it belongs to the members.”

Ride the Wave

While constant change can seem disruptive in the moment, it also brings new opportunities. Each realignment offers a chance to reeducate leaders, underscore value in new ways, and explore ideas previously seen as non-starters.

Change is inevitable in business. But by anticipating it, adapting quickly, documenting results, and building allies, community pros can guide their programs to continued success amidst the turbulence.

Brace yourself for the rapids, but keep your eyes on the north star. With the right mindset and tools, you can steer your community safely through the churn.