Greetings Grasshopper!
There’s an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine where Captain Sisko arrives at a remote outpost that’s been under siege for five brutal months. (Stay with me if you’re not a Trekkie—this is about leadership, not sci-fi.)
The crew stationed there? They’re exhausted. Traumatized. They’ve lost so many people they’ve stopped counting. Their uniforms are filthy. Their eyes are hollow. They’re barely holding on.
Sisko could have shown up, given a rousing speech, and returned to his ship. He could have managed the situation from a safe distance—sent orders, checked reports, stayed comfortable and clean.
Sisko chooses differently.
He stays. He sits in the mud with them. He listens to their stories. He sees their fear, their exhaustion, their desperate need to be acknowledged as human beings who are going through hell. He doesn’t just manage the mission—he shows up for the people.
It worked for leading those folks, and that’s also what works for leading communities.
So much is out of our hands. Algorithms change overnight. World events shift attention. Platforms rise and fall. The reach we had last month vanishes. The strategy that worked stops working.
We can’t control any of that.
But we can control how we lead. We can choose how we show up for the people who matter to us.
The question is: Are you commanding from orbit, or are you in the trenches?
Are you:
Posting content at people, or connecting with them?
Checking analytics, or checking in on actual humans?
Managing our brand presence, or being genuinely present?
People want to be seen, heard, and cared about. Not as metrics. Not as engagement rates. Not as potential customers.
As people.
Your community—the clients, the followers, the fellow travelers on this creative journey—they’re not sitting comfortably in their own captain’s chairs either. They’re in their own trenches, fighting their own battles, wondering if anyone notices they’re struggling.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it:
Reach out to someone in your community you haven’t checked on in a while. Not with a pitch. Not with content. Just... reach out. See them. Hear them. Let them know you care.
The most powerful thing we can do isn’t algorithm optimization or content strategy.
It’s showing up and sitting in the mud with someone who needs to know they’re not alone.
Your move, Captain.
RJ 🖖💥🔥
P.S. Sisko didn’t fix everything at AR-558. He couldn’t. But the people there felt seen. They felt heard. They felt like someone cared. And sometimes, that’s what makes all the difference between giving up and holding on one more day.
Epic Event Alert:
First Draft Fridays: Repurpose Like A Ninja
Happening this Friday at 10AM Central at the Come Write Inn.
This ain’t your bro marketer’s version of repurposing. This method is actually effective. Come see what we’re talking about.
Recipe From Resurrection Roast
(the coffeeshop inside the Come Write Inn):
Intelligence Infusion
2 parts caramel extract, 2 parts english toffee extract, 1/2 part pineapple extract
Dark roast, Dark molasses sweetener
Tantalizing Description:
A wise choice for the discerning drinker. Pineapple brings a burst of insight, sharpened by the rich notes of English toffee. Caramel, with its deep undertones, evokes the aged tomes of a wizard’s library, promising knowledge in every sip.