If you’re particularly attentive to consistency, you might notice sometimes we refer to a founders’ group and other times to a founders’ team. The difference (we feel) is that a group becomes a team when it has defined roles and develops cohesiveness. The following resources for founders’ groups are offered to help you become a team.
Getting Started
Free short starter ebook: A guide from The Foundation for Intentional Community (a separate organization from ICmatch)
Starting a community course: An affordable self–paced online course from The Foundation for Intentional Community
Roles and Work Assignments
You may be impatient because your project is much needed. It will likely evolve at its own pace regardless of how much effort you personally put in. It’s bigger than you. You are responsible only for your part. Respect others’ pace. Help others in their part only when you can do it without resentment or impatience. Hold each other accountable in ways that you have agreed to.
Team Up: Roles of Your Core Founders Group: Making work assignments, outsourcing, and what to call your roles.
Roles and Personality
Among the reasons that groups more often make better decisions than individuals is that different perspectives can provide balance. One is the gas and the other is the brakes. Some are fun and others are more practical. While some are more inclined toward mercy, others toward justice. Some favor togetherness and others solitude. Some are best at seeing the big picture, while others tend to focus on details.
Personality Types and IC Member Roles: Description of MBTI types, Big 5 traits, and how these relate to intentional community.
Team Agreement Documents
Agreement Guidelines and Templates: These pages will guide you in creating crucial documents related to several necessary topics.
Grant-funded Consulting Series: This program guides your founders group in creating and refining your agreements, then helps you access relevant consultants.
Cohesion-building (Getting Along)
Find Advisors: A bi-monthly session with a coach or peer-mentoring group can help you recognize when you are growing versus when you might be moving toward dead ends.
Increasing Interpersonal Skills: Discusses celebrations and ritual, emotional and psychological support, interdependence, trust, and physical intimacy.
Group Circle Discussion Processes: List and links for time-honored and tested processes designed for team building, decision-making, conflict resolution, or some combination.
Co-create Transformational Events Blending Work and Play: Suggestions for events that renew your motivation and can help you recruit.
Match-up Game for IC Members: A brilliant design to match people up for paired interactions with no rejection, depending on their privately stated mutual interest in another.
Checking in About Consensual Sex: Links to an external article with suggestions on an enlightened approach to ensuring no regrets about sexual involvement.
Basic Respect in Sexual Behavior: You may need to fill in members about the basics of consent culture.
Prepare to Contribute: A chapter about stepping up your skills and mindset to make valuable contributions as a team member.