What an ERG actually is (and the trap to avoid)
What you signed up to lead — and the party-planning-committee trap.
Maceo is recording this module. The activity below is ready now — you can complete it without the video.
An ERG is not a social club. It''s not cultural decoration. It''s not a party-planning committee with a heritage-month calendar. An ERG is a structured employee community that drives connection, engagement, and leadership development — when it''s supported properly. You were voted in (or volunteered, or got tapped) to lead something with real shape: a group with a purpose, members who came looking for something specific, and a relationship with the company that runs in both directions. The trap most new leaders fall into is treating the ERG like an events calendar. Events are an output, not the point. The point is what the community is *for* — who it serves, what they get from being in the room, and what changes for them because the ERG exists. This first module gets you clear on that before we touch anything else. If you don''t know what your ERG is for, every plan after this one is busywork.
ERG Purpose Check
Four questions to clarify what your ERG is actually for — and spot where it's drifting toward "just an event committee."