"A tactical primer for any business embarking on the critical work of actively building community."--Seth Godin, Author, This is Marketing "This book perfectly marries the psychology of communities, with the hard-earned secrets of someone who's done the real work over many years. David Spinks is the master of this craft."--Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Hooked and Indistractable The rise of the internet has brought with it an inexorable, almost shockingly persistent drive toward community. From the first social networks to the GameStop trading revolution, engaged communities have shown the ability to transform industries. Businesses need to harness that power. As business community expert David Spinks shows in The Business of Belonging: How to Make Community your Competitive Advantage, the successful brands of tomorrow will be those that create authentic connection, giving customers a sense of real belonging and unlocking unprecedented scale as a result. In his career of over 10 years in the business of building community, Spinks has learned what a winning community strategy looks like. From the fundamental concepts--including how community drives measurable business value and what the appropriate metrics are--to high-level community design and practical engagement techniques, The Business of Belonging is an epic journey into the world of community building. This book is for decision makers who want to better understand the value and opportunity of community, and for community professionals who want to level up their strategy. Featuring a foreword by Startup Grind and Bevy cofounder Derek Andersen, it will give you a step-by-step model for strategically planning, creating, facilitating, and measuring communities that drive business growth. Attracting and retaining community members who are also loyal customers, brand evangelists, and leaders--that's the goal for today's connected businesses, and this book is the map to getting there.

People are conditioned culturally from an early age, with each of us developing a set of values and behaviors that differ from those in other parts of the world. When adopting Agile, do cultural behaviors and values prevail, or is there a universal "Agile culture"? How have people from different cultures adopted Agile to suit them? Are some cultures naturally more suited to adopting Agile than others? Adopting Agile Across Borders answers all of that and more. Teams in all industries are more globally distributed and diverse than ever. Authors Glaudia Califano and David Spinks reveal how people across the world have embraced Agile values alongside their own cultural values, and what this means for the adoption of Agile. In Adopting Agile Across Borders, a rich array of experiences are shared through real-life stories told by members of the global Agile community. Whether you are an Agile practitioner, a product manager, HR personnel, or simply someone interested in leading people more effectively, this book provides essential teamwork insights across the board. Califano and Spinks showcase case studies from around the world to address the opportunities provided by ever greater mobility and advances in technology. Adopting Agile Across Borders is here to ready you for a diverse, more connected future. What You Will Learn Gain an awareness and understanding of different cultural types, behaviours, and communication styles See how diversity spans a much wider set of factors than nationality, race, and gender Discover how multi-cultural Agile teams can reach high-performing states by acknowledging their diversity and finding ways to better integrate with one another Who This Book Is For Agile practitioners, scrum masters, Agile coaches, product owners, team members, product managers, and anyone responsible for, or interested in, leading people.