In this Halloween special of This Week in Community, Rosie Sherry and Simon Tomes take a theme suggested by Judy Mosley and name the otherworldly powers they see in each other. They start with focus and the ahh test for prioritising, and how different approaches make a team stronger. They then turn to Rosie’s knack for systems thinking: clearing the fog so others can see how things connect, and zooming between detail and the bigger picture. From there they talk about building simple, efficient systems, shipping good enough work, the friction new members feel when joining a busy community, and why showing up over time helps squash imposter syndrome.
The conversation then turns to active listening, and why taking your own notes beats waiting for a transcript. They cover how journalistic writing habits like signposts help ideas land, and the idea of communities as places where members become publishers. They explore going round the dreamland to reality loop, finding joy in creative work, and building internal apps with AI to replace spreadsheets. They close on where AI fits in community, introducing RED (research, efficiencies, data) and CUWI (community unscripted with intention), and invite listeners to document their own community powers.
Chapter timestamps
00:00 Halloween Special Introduction
03:26 Prioritisation Using The R Test
05:57 Teamwork and Diverse Approaches
07:30 Systems Thinking and Fog Removal
09:27 Zooming Between Detail and Strategy
12:55 Efficiency Through Systems Creation
18:13 Adopting A Good Enough Approach
20:01 Navigating Community Onboarding Friction
25:34 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
27:16 The Power of Active Listening
30:59 Journalistic Note Taking Benefits
34:31 Developing Journalistic Writing Skills
36:40 Community as a Publishing Platform
38:01 Bridging Dreamland and Reality
45:32 Finding Joy in Creative Work
47:27 Building Internal Apps With AI
51:44 Replacing Spreadsheets With Custom Tools
54:04 AI Roles In Community Management
55:25 The RED Research Framework
57:07 Community Unscripted With Intention
58:48 Documenting Community Builder Skills
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