A lot of people can get distracted by the work around the work. They see all of the "should dos" and focus on the theatre around the work instead of being focused on the work itself.

A lot of people can get distracted by the work around the work. They see all of the "should dos" and focus on the theatre around the work instead of being focused on the work itself.

In Craig Mod's latest post (as of February 2025) on what he has learned about running successful membership program, he hits this point home repeatedly.

He continues to write that while you are building a community, your goal is not to manage that community.

For people who have worked in community or platform roles before, this might sound counterintuitive. Isn't that why we're here in the first place?

But Craig is right. The community exists in a particular context (whether that's in a venture fund, international development, etc.), and that context has a specific north star. You have to actively avoid getting stuck in a local maxima.

He ends by describing why his goal is to write more books:

Books are one of the greatest bulwarks against kleptocracy and authoritarianism because they hone focus, attention, and can imbue a mind with calmness required to take clear action: Qualities required by a society to “win.” To be reductive (and somewhat alarmist): The feed, the doomscroll, the hyperventilation, is the heartbeat of political and social death. It is not life. It is a false heartbeat. BEWARE the feed and what it makes you do and think; cultivate the clear mind. (Please, for all of us, cultivate the clear mind.)

Good advice for us all.

Original link here: https://craigmod.com/essays/membership_rules/