Governance

Lead a Study Group From Zero to Sustained

16 weeks · 5 milestones

This is the entry-level GOVERNANCE outcome — the first rung of community and civic leadership. Recruit at least 4 people to a voluntary study group with a shared goal, sustain it through natural attrition, delegate real responsibility to another member, and bring the group to its defined endpoint. You have no formal authority: anyone can leave at any time with zero consequence. Retention and engagement are the proof, because there is no other leverage keeping people there.

Milestone map

5 milestones

Recruit at least 4 other people (5 total including you) to commit to a recurring study group around a specific shared goal — passing an exam, learning a skill, finishing a book with discussion. You have no formal authority to make anyone join. Define the goal and the commitment being asked (frequency, duration) before recruiting, not after people have already shown interest.

Proof required

Submit the recruitment message or post you used (the actual text, not a summary), and a list of the 4+ people who committed (first names or initials, with how you knew them — friend, online community, classmate, stranger). Write 200 words on what made people say yes versus what made people you asked say no — name at least one specific objection you heard and how you responded to it.

What gets checked

The recruitment message clearly states the goal and commitment level upfront — not a vague 'who wants to study together sometime' that leaves the actual ask undefined
At least one of the 4+ recruits is someone the organizer did NOT already know well — recruiting only close friends who'd join anything you ask is a different and easier skill than recruiting people who need to be genuinely convinced
The objection-and-response account is specific and real — names an actual reason someone hesitated or declined, not a generic 'everyone was busy'

Resources

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Mastery

The Tribes We Lead — Seth Godin (TED talk)

The 17-minute talk that reframes recruitment as creating belonging rather than selling participation. After recruiting your first group, this explains precisely why your recruitment message either generated a feeling of 'this is for people like me' or didn't — and what that means for every group you'll ever lead. The central insight: tribes form around shared ideas, not around their leaders.

Unlocks after completing Foundation + Depth