Alex Hillman is the founder of IndyHall, the oldest coworking space in Philadelphia and one of the oldest and longest-running in the United States.
Alex is an expert on creating and maximizing value from community. He talks about using stories to create and maintain community.
Best quote: “Rules are the scar tissue of past decisions.”
In the first ten minutes we talk about Alex’s background and some stories about Indy Hall. Some highlights from the show:
13:40: For creating community, the key is writing yourself into the story – and now you have a story you can talk about.
14:25: “The story of why these microphones on the table is more important than the fact that we have these microphones on the table.”
18:40: The importance of letting go of the story and letting stories bubble up: giving people permission is the secret.
22:50: How to get a message across: how the Indy Hall team uses stories to help potential members see themselves in the Indy Hall story
25:40: Indy Hall’s unique membership level: You can’t buy your way into becoming a keyholder. You have to earn your privileges. Two stories of how this tradition came to be a part of the Indy Hall culture.
30:00 The role of the leader is to find out the stories everyone else has.