No TribeNo Tribe connects leaders worth following, then inspires and develops the ones who come next.
01
Leadership is critical
Everything that is led well thrives, and everything that is led poorly does not. That is true of a team, a company, a city, and a country.
02
Great leaders are rare
Leaders worth following are both competent and trustworthy. They are rare, they are often working in isolation, and we need more of them.
03
We need an ecosystem
Connect them, and you get a critical mass of experienced leaders who can support one another and inspire and train the next generation.
The No Tribe Academy & Leadership Club
Concept rendering · The front door. Open to the city three nights a week.
This is where we are headed
Headquarters for the leaders worth following in a city. The place where they connect and support one another, and where the next generation comes to learn from them.
Two things make the building work: the people in the room, and the energy in it. Neither happens on its own.
Concept rendering · The Leadership Club on a Thursday night.
Concept rendering · The Studio. The Academy on a Tuesday morning.
We are not there yet.
Here is the plan.
Phase one
Events
An event series in Washington, D.C., to start building the ecosystem.
Phase two
A physical space
A building of our own. The headquarters of the leadership ecosystem.
Phase three
A network of spaces
The same building in other cities, and leaders who are connected across them.
Phase one
Events
An event series in Washington, D.C., to start building the ecosystem.
It starts with events.
The building comes later. First we need the community that would use it. So the first year is events, and every one of them has a job.
Job one
The leaders back one another.
Example event
Grand Rounds. One leader brings a real problem, and a panel that has seen it before works on it out loud for twenty minutes, with the whole room pitching in.
Job two
The next generation learns from them.
Example event
Speed Mentorship. Twenty leaders across the table from twenty of the next generation, fifteen minutes each, then a bell.
Job three
The community grows.
Example event
The Work Day. Crews of leaders and the next generation do a day's work for organizations across the city, then everyone eats together.
Job four
Have fun together.
Example event
The Whodunit. A murder at dinner where every guest has a part, and the clues are spread so thin that nobody can solve it from their seat.
The events build the community. A building gives it a permanent home.
Phase two
A physical space
A building of our own. The headquarters of the leadership ecosystem.
Why a building.
A permanent space means people can drop in whenever they want instead of waiting for the next event. Relationships strengthen in those unplanned hours.
The details of a space matter, and you can only get them right in a space you control.
The Club, the Academy, and the public events all feed off each other. Under one roof, each one benefits from the others.
What happens inside.
Collaborative work
Members working at shared tables during the day. Conversation is expected.
Classes
The Academy in session. The next generation at the tables, a member teaching from the middle of the room.
Member events
The Leadership Club's own nights. Members, their guests, and the events run for them.
Public events
The nights anyone in the city can come in. Public events, and events run with partner organizations.
Phase three
A network of spaces
The same building in other cities, and leaders who are connected across them.
Once it works in Washington, we build it again in other cities. The goal is a network of buildings, and leaders connected to one another across countries.
Concept rendering · New York
Concept rendering · Mexico City
Concept rendering · São Paulo
Who is behind this
The people building it
Peter Elam
Founder
Peter is building No Tribe from Washington, D.C. He ran an innovation lab at the University of Texas for nine years, and now builds Diamond Tree, a training platform for the people who lead and develop teams. He has wanted to open a gathering place for leaders worth following for a long time, and the events are where that starts.
Advisors
Marco Barrio
Real Estate / Operations
Founder and CEO of U-Co, a network of coliving spaces throughout Mexico.
Patricia Cruz
Operations / Community
Has managed community and operations for multiple 1,500+ member WeWork locations in Mexico City.
Michael Minter
Creative / Marketing
CMO and VP of Brand at Sorel, and previously Global Head of Marketing for DC Shoes.
Manny Oliverez
Design / Learning Programs
Senior product manager at Amazon with deep expertise in design thinking and online learning.
Contact
Get in touch.
We are at the very beginning. If you are a leader worth following, or know one, or just want to help, reach out.
peter.elam@notribe.org