Introducing Positive Coworking Experiences (PCEs)

Being an entrepreneur or business owner takes an incredible amount of resiliency.

Problems, challenges and comfort zone expanders just keep coming.

So resiliency, which is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties, is a requirement.

If you’re not resilient, you won’t last.

Resiliency grows through entrepreneurship, but it starts much earlier than that. A 2019 study of 6,188 adults at Johns Hopkins sought to identify whether positive childhood experiences (PCEs) could “buffer against the health effects of traumatic ones.”

The researchers, led by Dr. Christina Bethell, were looking to identify the factors that created a level of resiliency in these kids that helped them to thrive despite difficult childhoods.

They found seven positive childhood experiences that can be statistically linked to good emotional and mental health in adults, and that children with PCEs “become adults who are able to seek social and emotional support.”

Here are the seven Positive Childhood Experiences:

1. The ability to talk with family about feelings.
2. The sense that family is supportive during difficult times.
3. The enjoyment of participation in community traditions.
4. Feeling a sense of belonging in high school.
5. Feeling supported by friends.
6. Having at least two non-parent adults who genuinely cared.
7. Feeling safe and protected by an adult in the home.

Positive Coworking Experiences (PCEs)

As soon as I saw this list, my mind went, unsurprisingly, to coworking.

Could it be that having Positive Coworking Experiences could lead to being a more resilient, successful, thriving entrepreneur?

I believe so.

So I reworked the seven childhood experiences. Here are seven Positive Coworking Experiences:

1. The ability to talk with fellow entrepreneurs about feelings.
2. The sense that your coworking community is supportive during difficult times.
3. The enjoyment of participation in community traditions.
4. Feeling a sense of belonging in your coworking space.
5. Feeling supported by fellow members.
6. Having at least two non-teammate adults who genuinely care.
7. Feeling safe and protected in the space and community.

As I read the above list, I have experienced most, if not all, of these in my 12+ years in coworking, working out of dozens of different spaces.

I’ve also been part of spaces that have exactly zero of these.

Guess which ones I prefer?

Guess which ones have supported and pushed me forward as an entrepreneur and business owner?

Guess which ones have engaged, thriving communities full of people who care about the space and each other?

It truly is a no-brainer.

Create Something Extraordinary

And yet … I see soooooo many spaces trying to phone in community, or just throw some cookies on the counter and call it an event. Spaces where members walk around politely nodding to each other without having a clue who their fellow members are, let alone how they may be able to support each other.

Creating Positive Coworking Experiences is a big vision, for sure.

And maybe you’re not up to the task of creating something more than a desk rental facility. That’s fine. There are some people who just want to rent a desk.

But for those of you who are leaning in and working to create something truly extraordinary, with the potential to transform lives and make a positive impact on your neighborhood, town, city and region, I see you. I believe in you.

And I have zero doubt that you are the future of coworking.