Top Tips to Help You Become a Trusted DAO Contributor
Article by KAF Edited by Kornekt Cover Art by ab_colours
One year ago, I wrote about how DAOs are going to change everything. Since then, I went down the rabbit hole, learning the essential skills every DAO member needs to be successful in this new organizational environment.
DAOs enable the decentralized management of work, from hiring to project management. In traditional companies, if you want to get a job, you have to contact the company with your resume, and wait for the person in charge of human resources to agree to have an interview with you. DAOs couldn’t be more different!
In DAOs, you just have to enter their Discord and introduce yourself. According to your skills and availability, the community will guide you and help you find a great fit. As you start contributing and the community gets to know and trust you, your reputation will increase, and more opportunities will come your way.
In this article, I will walk you through some of the essential skills needed to become a trusted DAO contributor:
Basic knowledge of blockchain
Fast learning abilities
Communication skills
Time management skills
Problem-solving skills
Teamwork abilities
Autonomy
It’s mostly soft skills that enable thriving in DAOs
Basic Knowledge of Blockchain
DAOs are organizations that base their operation on the blockchain. You will not be able to understand the power that DAOs have if you do not understand the basics of blockchain.
My advice for acquiring this skill is to practice. Like many others, I started out by buying crypto on a centralized exchange. The more I learned, the more I ventured into new territory, learning more about blockchain technology.
Today, for example, I can set up a joint treasury using Ethereum scaling solutions and implement an automated payment system within a DAO. If you’re a newbie, all these may sound strange to you. No one is born knowing everything. Luckily, there are several free resources to help you learn about blockchain, so dig in and start learning.
Learn Often and Fast
Now that you have some basic blockchain knowledge, you need to get ready to learn, often and fast. Learn by doing. If one day you send crypto to the wrong wallet address, you will learn that there’s no solution. Treat such mistakes as lessons. Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn.
We are early; if you are equipped with basic knowledge of blockchain tech now, you are probably already ahead of 99% of people, but you can’t relax. The ecosystem is constantly evolving, therefore, learning must be continuous.
If you are not learning something new every day, you will fall behind. Make a point to learn something new about blockchain technology today.
Communication Skills
Communication is vital in almost all aspects of life. But in web3, this skill is critical. The way we communicate has changed in recent years. Remote work is gradually becoming the norm and virtual meetings are the order of the day. The good? Independence. The bad? Isolation.
Coffee time is very beneficial in traditional jobs. Being able to talk face-to-face with your colleagues about the day helps you focus and keeps your energy up.
DAOs are different. Coordinating with people from different cultures and in different time zones is not an easy task. If you can communicate effectively, you will have a great advantage.
Most DAO guilds and working groups hold weekly meetings where members catch up and plan work. The rest of the coordination is done asynchronously on their Discord chat channels. Therefore, to be an efficient contributor, you should practice both your verbal and written communication. Clear thinking, speaking, and writing is key.
Time Management Skills
The freedom offered by DAOs has its advantages and disadvantages. In DAOs, there are no strict schedules. That’s why you must learn to manage your time.
As DAOs work through meritocracy, whoever is capable of solving the problems or performing the required tasks will be the one to get the reward. Nobody is going to be behind you telling you when to do what you have to do, and you won’t be able to work effectively if you don’t manage your time properly.
Learning proper time management always pays off in the long run.
Problem-solving Skills
An old boss I had always said: “I don’t want problems, I want solutions.”
There’s still much to do in DAOs — we’re paving the way, learning as we go. Contributors are responsible for resolving issues that arise, and without focused problem-solving, a DAO will fail. It may be that more than 50% of the current DAOs will disappear due to operational inefficiency, to known problems left unaddressed.
Decentralized governance is difficult to implement. Coordination is sometimes ineffective. Technical problems appear when you least expect them. The market doesn’t always go up. All these obstacles need to be resolved as they appear. That’s why a contributor who is decisive and a problem solver will be successful in any DAO.
Teamwork Abilities
The ability to work in a team will help you be a good DAO contributor. DAOs are often divided into subDAOs or guilds. A DAO is like a corporation and the guilds are like the departments.
If you want to be a good contributor, you have to be a team player: perform your tasks, coordinate with the rest of the team, and provide value whenever your colleagues need you. In DAOs, no one is better than anyone; everyone must work together to achieve the DAO’s mission.
As I’ve said before, problems will arise. A decisive team where members communicate well can and will make a difference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP9jpxitfb4
Autonomy
In a DAO, you must be autonomous but biased towards action. What do I mean? You must be proactive and able to work on your own. You have to be able to identify the weaknesses of the DAO and provide initiatives that add value.
To be a good contributor, you must work as a team, and to work in a team, you must be able to work autonomously, at least in the DAO.
I’ve realized that not everyone is designed to be a DAO contributor. Many people prefer to just take orders. There is nothing wrong with that; DAOs need leaders as well as followers. But to really excel in DAOs, you also must learn how to move alone and blaze a trail.
Take These Tips and Thrive
The essential skills listed above will help you succeed within a DAO. They are not the only ones, but with these skills, you can continue to develop and grow on your own web3 journey.
DAOs are a new way of organizing towards a common purpose, replete with new technology, and they are constantly evolving.
The sooner you dive in, join a DAO, and learn how web3 and blockchain will change the way we work, the sooner you can be a part of this revolution.
A version of this article initially appeared in BanklessDAO’s State of the DAOs newsletter on November 17, 2022.
Author Bio
KAF is a consultant and writer helping people get closer to NFTs, DAOs, DeFi, and the metaverse.
Editor Bio
Kornekt is a writer and editor with strong conviction in the world web3 creates.
Designer Bio
ab_colours is a versatile designer with over seven years of experience. He specializes in doing product design, UX design and brand identity. He has been DAOing for the past eight months and has been able to amass quite a lot of knowledge about the fascinating blockchain space.
BanklessDAO is an education and media engine dedicated to helping individuals achieve financial independence.
This post does not contain financial advice, only educational information. By reading this article, you agree and affirm the above, as well as that you are not being solicited to make a financial decision, and that you in no way are receiving any fiduciary projection, promise, or tacit inference of your ability to achieve financial gains.
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