The day you become a CEO, you don’t just get the big office, the executive assistant, and the awkward LinkedIn messages from people who suddenly want to “grab coffee.” You also inherit three circles of community. Whether you like it or not, you are building them every single day.
Ignore one, and the whole thing wobbles. Invest in all three, and suddenly you are not just running a company, you are leading a movement.
So, what are these three communities?
The organisation: Your inner circle
This is your immediate community. Your employees, your leadership team, the people who show up every Monday morning with caffeine and hope in their veins.
Some CEOs treat this group like replaceable parts. Others see it as an actual community, a messy, human one that needs trust, energy, and the occasional pep talk. The difference is noticeable.
When it goes well:
Take Garry Ridge, the long-time CEO of WD-40 (recently retired). He famously called his company a “tribe”, not in a gimmicky HR way, but in a genuine “we’re in this together” way. Under his leadership, WD-40’s employee engagement scores hit levels most companies can only dream of (north of 90%). People were not just punching in; they were invested. And the company’s steady growth showed it was not just warm and fuzzy talk; it was good business.
When it goes badly:
Think of CEOs who announce thousands of job cuts via mass email at 6 am. Nothing says “you are part of the family” (which is a BS term anyway) like finding out you are out of a job before your first coffee. Sure, the numbers look tidy in the short term, but trust, loyalty, and creativity do not show up on a balance sheet until they are gone.
Takeaway: If your own people do not believe in you, your strategy will not survive.
Clients and Partners: The extended circle
Next up: the people outside your building who keep your lights on. Clients, customers, partners, the ones who decide whether you are tomorrow’s headline success or just another case study in “what went wrong.”
When it goes well:
Patagonia. They don’t just sell jackets. They sell an identity. When they ran a campaign telling customers not to buy their product unless they really needed it, people loved them more. Why? Because they were building a community around shared values, not just shared inputs and outputs.
When it goes badly:
Plenty of “partner programs” that promise collaboration but end up looking more like “how much can we squeeze out of you before you notice?” Those programs do not collapse overnight; they quietly rot as resentment builds.
Takeaway: Purely transactional Relationships do not survive disruption. Your partners and clients need to feel you are invested in their success, not just your quarterly targets.
Society: The outer circle
Finally, the big one: society. For decades, CEOs could pretend this circle did not matter. “We’re here to deliver shareholder value,” they would say (and some still stick to this outdated mantra), while avoiding any question remotely related to the real world.
That does not fly anymore. Employees, clients, investors, they all want to know: what do you stand for? How do you show up in the world beyond your profit margins?
When it goes well:
Christine Holgate, former CEO of Australia Post and Blackmores, is a strong example. She’s known for speaking up on gender equity, employee fairness, and ethical leadership—never shying away from making tough calls in the public eye. Under her leadership, her companies weren’t just profitable; they were respected for how they treated people, engaged with societal issues, and held themselves accountable. She demonstrates that a CEO can make informed business decisions while maintaining a moral compass and taking a public stand on issues that matter.
When it goes badly:
Contrast that with CEOs who only pay lip service to societal issues, green campaigns that last only a week, and diversity statements that never translate into action. Eventually, people notice. Reputation erodes. Loyalty dwindles. And no marketing campaign can fix that.
Takeaway:
Society is no longer optional. How you show up matters because your credibility, your talent, and your client’s trust all depend on it.
How these circles connect
As it might be evident by now, these three circles are not separate. They bleed into each other.
If you neglect employees, clients notice. If you mistreat partners, society does not believe your carefully crafted purpose statement. And if you ignore society, your best employees and clients will quietly find a company that doesn’t.
When all three communities are thriving, it is like a well-tuned orchestra, everyone playing in sync, and suddenly the music just works. Employees are proud to work for you. Clients trust you. Society respects you. And your job suddenly feels a lot less like firefighting and a lot more like actual leadership.
A question for you
Most CEOs naturally gravitate toward one circle. Some excel at culture but rarely step outside their office walls. Others live for client dinners while forgetting the people who actually keep the business running. A few chase societal headlines while quietly bleeding talent.
Here’s the reflection worth sitting with:
Which of your three communities are you quietly neglecting?
Whether you like it or not, you ARE shaping all three circles every day. The question isn’t if you are building them, it is whether you are doing it with intention, or just letting them build themselves… and making yourself obsolete.
And as always, if you invest in yourself, the rewards will be unfathomable.
Until next time.
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