Do you see yourself as a leader? If you run a Skool community, or a household, you are already leading whether you use that word or not. That’s why Leadership Is an Art by Max De Pree remains one of the most useful leadership books I’ve ever read, even decades later, and especially for online communities. The at of leadership is "liberating people to do what is required of them in the most effective and humane way possible." De Pree doesn’t treat leadership as a role or a strategy. He treats it as stewardship... a temporary responsibility for people, culture, and direction. That framing changes everything. Community is not content. It’s a human system. Most people approach communities like products. Making more posts, prompts, or activity isn't leading. The work of a leader is not to generate output. It’s to create the conditions where people want to contribute. That includes: - Psychological safety - Clear expectations - Mutual respect - A sense that presence matters When those conditions exist, participation follows naturally. When they don’t, no amount of “engagement hacks” will fix it. 💫 Covenant beats contract One of De Pree’s strongest ideas is the difference between contracts and covenants. Contracts are transactional. Covenants are relational. Most online communities are built on unspoken contracts: - I post, you respond - I pay, you deliver - I show up, I get value WISE communities work better when they function as covenants: - We care how people experience this space - We protect dignity, diversity, equality, inclusion - We value contribution beyond metrics That means being intentional about how people are treated, especially when they are new, uncertain or quietly lurking. 💫 The leader defines reality This is one of De Pree’s most quoted ideas for a reason. In a community, defining reality looks like: - Being authentic about sharing rather than posting filler De Pree rejects performative leadership. Filler is false reality. Authentic sharing is reality.

All together now

Sam Ovens & Andrew Kirby share: - How to reduce churn + platform averages - The longer members stay, the less they churn (only 2% churn after 6-months!) - Common patterns + examples of people who reduced churn - How to deal with trouble members + manage community - When to use moderators and how to find them Watch it on YouTube@skool-news channel here

The CATALYST Path of Progress EXPLORER When you first land here, you’re an Explorer. Think of this space like the front porch. You get to look around, check things out, and see how Skool actually works for small businesses without feeling like you’re committing to anything. When you join you get the ABC 5-Day Challenge, a 1:1 Quickstart session, and it starts with a simple 15 minute Quick Connect call so we can meet and explore what you’re building. People are always surprised that the Quickstart session is free because they get so much clarity. I want everyone to start with a focused direction instead of guessing in the dark. This stage is just about getting oriented and seeing what’s possible. BUILDER When you decide you want to build something for yourself, you shift into the Builder stage. This is when the lightbulb goes on and you think, “Okay, I want my own Skool,” or “I want help getting mine set up the right way.” Builders usually jump into the one-day setup, the full Catalyst Kit, or the Hotline if they already have a community and just want a direct line to me instead of digging for answers on their own. In Builder mode, you’re putting your foundation together and figuring out what kind of experience you want to create for your customers or members. Nothing fancy, nothing overwhelming. Just building something that works for your life and your business. CREATOR As things start clicking, you naturally step into the Creator stage. This is where you’ve got enough figured out that your questions become more specific and your goals get bigger. Maybe you’re ready to lead workshops or run private groups. Maybe you want to polish your setup, open a second Skool, or seriously boost engagement and visibility. This stage has more support, more feedback, and a closer circle of people who are building at the same pace as you. The work goes deeper here because you’re not just setting things up anymore. You’re shaping a real community that grows with you.

Notes and takeaways from the 2025 Q3 Skool Games Winners 1-day in LA with Alex Hormozi Summary: This session is basically a Skool “advanced class” on three things: content, communities, and offers. On content, Alex explains that most people create “four-minute voice memo” content that should have been 30 seconds. The fix is structure and pre-thinking. Capture content in the most natural way (lives, calls, workshops), then edit for each platform. Start with volume so you get data, then squeeze that volume into fewer, higher-quality pieces over time. On communities, the theme is simplicity and leverage. Most small business owners and wellness providers are stuck in the same trap... Too many platforms. Too many funnels. Too many half-finished ideas. And then someone tells you to “make more content” on top of all that. The result is exactly what Alex described: Your content becomes that four-minute voice memo that should have been 30 seconds. You feel like you’re working hard and still not seeing steady growth. Let’s fix that. In this post I want to distill what was discussed and give you a simple way to think about: - How to create content that actually moves people without burning out - How to use one Skool live as a full content engine - Why the About page can beat a traditional funnel - When to use free, paid, public, private, and tiers - What really keeps people paying month after month All in plain language, so you can put it to work in your own Skool community. 1. Stop talking like a four-minute voice memo If you’ve ever listened to a long voice note and thought, “This could have been 30 seconds,” you already know the problem. Most creators hit record before they think. The fix is not to turn into a robot.