5 Ways Leaders Can Design a Culture of Belonging

The axis on which creating a thriving culture sits.

Reflect on a time when you were a part of a group. A group where you were present, relaxed, happy to be there and engaged in doing whatever was happening. This time in your life could have been as a small child with your family, perhaps your besties in high school, or if you're one of the lucky ones, the latest project team at work. ?? It felt great, didn't it! Now shift to when you were in a group, but you didn't want to be there. You were far from relaxed and looking for an escape route or, at the minimum, watching the clock for the time when you could get the heck out of there. Your level of engagement was minimum - just enough to be cordial and not look like a jerk. Although perhaps you teetered and fell across that line. ???? While there are many external factors you could rattle off in a list of why one was a success and one wasn't, there is a single axis point for the success. An axis point on which all successful cultures sit.

The axis on which all successful cultures sit is the feeling of belonging. - Karen Zeigler

When we feel a sense of belonging, we relax, we can flow with our surroundings, and we can tackle what needs to be done (even the stuff that's not so fun). But, of course, there's a dissonance when we don't feel a sense of belonging. Lack of belonging creates feelings of internal stress even. There is a tension between where we are physically and where our mind chatters about where we should be. While belonging is as much an inside job as it is an outside job, today's leaders in the workplace have a tremendous opportunity to influence their employee's sense of belonging.

Influence belonging - understanding the human's longing to be

For leaders to influence their employee's sense of belonging, it's essential to understand what belonging is. While externally belonging can look differently for everyone, internally belonging feels the same. Internally, belonging is at the heart of every human - our human longing to be. In this post, we'll examine the basics of human longings and prompts to get you thinking about how you, as a leader, can create an environment where employees can feel a greater sense of belonging.

Five Human Longings

1. Longing to be authentic.

Psychology defines authenticity as the degree to which a person's actions are congruent with their values and desires, despite external pressures to social conformity. For me, that boils down to alignment. I am my most authentic self when my actions (physical/body) and my thoughts/beliefs (mental/mind) align with the highest version of whom I aim to be (emotional/spirit). Every human has a desire to be authentic. Life is easier when we can be genuine.

We don't have to act a certain way, vie for attention, or strategize how to conform or succeed. Feelings of success are baked in - when we can just be. As a leader, you may not know what that is for your employees, but you can be curious to learn. A starting point is awareness -become mindful . Like in our opening reflection, who's watching the clock, perhaps a little agitated or not fully present and engaged. What action can you take to increase their belonging by giving them space to be authentic? Hint: it could be as simple as asking them their thoughts? Where are you or the organization asking them to conform in ways that have no tangible effect? Understanding that something is out of alignment for them and having the empathy and desire to help them get back into alignment will work magic.

2. Longing to be accepted and connected

Close kin to authenticity is acceptance and connection. When an individual is brave enough to show up authentically, and as leaders, we embrace and accept them, you create connection. They are listed as a single longing and not two because they do not exist without each other. The minute we reject or negatively judge an aspect of someone, the connection is lost or, at best, sorely damaged. Rejection or judgment is a fine line. A line every leader must walk. As leaders, we have to address performance and growth. However, it's essential to differentiate between performance and people as leaders. Certain performance levels are not acceptable, yet how do we leave intact the individual's dignity that they are acceptable? They are enough. Some questions to ask in these sticky situations are: How can I express my acceptance and belief in them as a person? What is my responsibility for this individual's performance? Is there training, coaching, or encouragement that can facilitate better outcomes in the future?

3. Longing to fulfill their greatest potential

No one shows up on their first day at work with the goal of failure. Yet success is far more than hitting all the KPIs. I can tell you from first-hand experience that a person can hit every KPI you have given them and still be unfulfilled and feel they are not living up to their greatest potential. While that potential isn't easy to quantify, a great place to start is studying an individual's personality type. The majority of personality assessments address an individual's best and worst thoughts and actions. However, there is one assessment that I've found that addresses the whole self, including nailing the core fears and desires that cause the individual to pivot between the best or worst version of themselves. This gap between worst and best is the real growth that must occur in an individual to fulfill their greatest potential. The assessment that targets this growth is the Enneagram . My friends at Trilogy Effect help leaders grow their employees into the best version of themselves every day. Check them out.

4. Longing to be creative and make an impact

Like #2 above, this is a combo deal. Your basic leader would say you're making an impact by showing up every day and doing your job - making the widget, doing the task. While that may be true for the leader, it doesn't feel true for the employee. And it won't feel true unless they are involved creatively. And by creative, I mean finding a part of the work where they can creatively express their uniqueness AND appreciate it. It's not about the what (the spreadsheet, an effective meeting, or hitting the target sales #). It's about the how. How did they shine? What was unique about the way they accomplished their assignment. Identify, acknowledge and appreciate the 'how," and you have created a greater sense of belonging. Allow them more opportunities to shine beyond their usual tasks, and you will see their productivity and presence come alive ! If they didn't shine - how are you as the leader, or are the organization's processes blocking their ability to shine? Ask them and study their personality. You may be shocked at what you learn.

5. Long to pursue their fascinations

Examine the great innovators of our time or history - Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Henry Ford, Oprah Winfrey, and others. When you read their biographies, one thing becomes clear - they pursued their fascinations. There were topics, things, or experiences that fueled their passion. Some would even say they are obsessed. And because of their relentless pursuit, we know their names today. What if the next Steve Jobs is the disengaged and unproductive employee you have all but written off? You don't see that because you have not allowed them to pursue their fascinations. What if the next big innovation for your company is hidden in plain sight - in your employees? More and more companies - like Google, Ford, and others are encouraging and allowing employees time off to explore their fascinations. What can you do to create space to allow employees to pursue their passions - both inside the organization and outside.

Conclusion

Cultural success spins on the axis of belonging. As leaders, you can have tremendous influence over our employees' sense of belonging and thus an impact on their success and your own. Employees experience a sense of belonging when leaders seek to fulfill their "longings to be." Leaders - your turn. How do you create a sense of belonging in your organization? What resonated with you in this article, or which longing will you focus on this week for your team? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

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