Community building - the LEGO way

I recently had the chance to speak with Jake McKee, who is a principal consultant, who has worked with or for the likes of LEGO, Apple and many more.

You can watch the full chat here.

The lesson that stood out for me was when LEGO prepared to launch a major update to its beloved Mindstorms robotics system.

The update would abandon backward compatibility, Lego knew it wouldn’t land quietly.

Jake McKee, then leading community strategy, anticipated the reaction: backlash from a loyal, highly invested adult fan base.

So he took a different route.

Instead of waiting for feedback after launch, Jake brought four community members into the development process months before the product was announced.

Each one was handpicked: a mechanical engineer, a software developer, a community advocate, and an events organiser.

Together, they became co-creators, not just early testers.

“I convinced the product team after much cajoling to bring in some fans… every shred of political capital I had went into that,” Jake recalled.

When the new version launched without backwards compatibility, the anger didn’t erupt. It flickered and then faded.

Why? Because the community saw their peers involved.

They trusted the process.

“The anger sort of shifted… people said, ‘Okay, I’m listening now.’”

When companies involve their most passionate users early, it changes the tone of the conversation. Feedback becomes collaboration. Launches become shared milestones. And criticism turns into advocacy.

“They were upset, but it shifted to, ‘Why wasn’t I invited?’ That was a whole different dynamic.”

Whether you’re iterating on a product, introducing a policy change, or relaunching a new website, the lesson is the same: if the change affects your most dedicated users, bring them to the table before it goes live.

Because the strongest communities aren’t built by broadcasting, they’re built by co-creating.