The Art of Community, Second Edition - by Charles H Vogl (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Second edition of this bestselling book on creating robust, thriving, positive communities using seven ancient principles any organization can follow.

Now with 25% new content, including a chapter on building virtual communities.

Healthy communities strive for their members to support one another, share their passions, and achieve personal growth. This book will help you learn to be connected and defeat loneliness by understanding where and how we belong. No matter the kind of organization, company, or social group, this book is a guide for leaders seeking to build a community or strengthen the ones they already have.

Drawing on both 3,000 years of history and his personal experience, Charles Vogl lays out seven time-tested principles for developing connected communities that last. These include:

• Boundary: The boundary between members and outsiders
• Initiation: The activities that mark a new member
• Rituals: The things we do that have meaning
• Temple: A place set aside to find our community
• Stories: What we share that allows others and ourselves to know our values
• Symbols: The things that represent ideas that are important to us
• Inner Rings: A path to growth as we participate

With hands-on tools for applying these principles to any group--formal or informal, mission driven or social, physical or virtual--this book will guide you in your journey to become a community builder that brings people together.

Review Quotes

"The Art of Community draws us in with both research and stories that deeply resonate with our hunger to belong. It's a pragmatic guide to build a web of friendships and a community of warmth, authenticity and purpose."
--Jacquelline Fuller, former president of Google.org

"With intentionality, wisdom, and reverence, Vogl reminds us how to build, nourish,
and celebrate the sacred gift of belonging. In an era when humankind is rediscovering the power and need of community, Vogl's is a welcome voice."
--Sally Blount, Michael L. Nemmers Professor of Strategy and former Dean, J.L. Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

"Charles Vogl's book is a lucid, ferociously intelligent, and readily accessible road map to building a more connected culture."
--Marty Krasney, Executive Director, Dalai Lama Fellows

About the Author

Charles Vogl is an award-winning author, speaker, and adviser. He draws from a wealth of spiritual traditions to understand how individuals build loyalty, strengthen identity, and live out shared values. His work is used to develop leaders and programs worldwide within organizations including Google, LinkedIn, Airbnb, Twitch.tv, and the U.S. Army. Vogl is also a founding member of the Google Vitality Lab. He holds an M.Div. from Yale, where he studied spiritual traditions, ethics, and business as a Jesse Ball duPont Foundation scholar.