Eric I'm grateful you took on this topic! We do live in an unprecedented time where so many tribes are colliding, as if thought all the comets could light up the night sky at once without bumping into each other!
I wonder if our inherited structures of hierarchy and work are even functional for the breadth of origins and individuals collected together today. From my own personal experience as a Mestizo in the United States, none of this diversity stuff works, nor do I have hope that it will. History has no precedent for its success and as long as we rely on the systems of the past, its failure will be all but guaranteed.
Still, I do hope for integration. Perhaps that is the objective to the subjective feeling of belonging. Let diversity be only heard of by wealth managers, and inclusion be for batteries in the box. I hope at least for a society integrated to a point where, like in Mexico, being mixed becomes the unifying identity. Maybe celebrating the mixing in itself is the solution?
Great article Eric. It's interesting, as white, straight, upper-middle class guy in the US, I almost feel as though I'm not supposed to "belong" to any group. Or at the very least, I should feel guilty for wanting to.
To your point about fostering belonging in the workplace, my goal has always been to get to know people as best I can. I like having personal conversations so that I know who people are, what they do, where they came from, etc.. I've felt this helps people feel more welcome because at least somebody cares about them as an individual and cares to learn about their background.
Thank you for highlighting the principles you have Eric. Belonging for me is the crux of it all. It sounds easy but it requires so many interpersonal skills to create for oneself, and for others. I think this aspect is not addressed enough.
Thanks for this piece, Eric. Very timely for me as I’m supporting a company working through this at the moment. One thing that stood out for me when identifying the need for belonging, came about a year about when I was taking a self-directed course for adults learning how to apply it into children’s learning environments. It used Maslow’s pyramid to describe how learners must feel like they belong to a safe community to thrive and flourish. Then I applied this to my own work environment, communities, etc and saw how important this truly is for learners of all ages. So I’m starting to help clients create alignment with the team members and helping them see each other for who they are and what they bring to the table. In an increasingly global world, you make a very good point on this awareness.
Well done and looking forward to more valuable insights from you!
Always stirring the pot in such useful ways Eric. Another great topic. You definitely hooked me with your spiky point of view on diversity. I am always on the lookout for simple practices/tools that get right to the heart of things. The WE/THEY test is a brilliant tool to measure where things are really at really the belonging factor, whether you're a leader and want insight into your own team or a consultant trying to help. I'm frequently conducting design calls with C-suite teams to get to the heart of what they're facing and how to speak usefully to the group. I'm going to add this question to my process. Do your people say "we" or "they" when talking about your company?
Eric I'm grateful you took on this topic! We do live in an unprecedented time where so many tribes are colliding, as if thought all the comets could light up the night sky at once without bumping into each other!
I wonder if our inherited structures of hierarchy and work are even functional for the breadth of origins and individuals collected together today. From my own personal experience as a Mestizo in the United States, none of this diversity stuff works, nor do I have hope that it will. History has no precedent for its success and as long as we rely on the systems of the past, its failure will be all but guaranteed.
Still, I do hope for integration. Perhaps that is the objective to the subjective feeling of belonging. Let diversity be only heard of by wealth managers, and inclusion be for batteries in the box. I hope at least for a society integrated to a point where, like in Mexico, being mixed becomes the unifying identity. Maybe celebrating the mixing in itself is the solution?
Great article Eric. It's interesting, as white, straight, upper-middle class guy in the US, I almost feel as though I'm not supposed to "belong" to any group. Or at the very least, I should feel guilty for wanting to.
To your point about fostering belonging in the workplace, my goal has always been to get to know people as best I can. I like having personal conversations so that I know who people are, what they do, where they came from, etc.. I've felt this helps people feel more welcome because at least somebody cares about them as an individual and cares to learn about their background.
Thank you for highlighting the principles you have Eric. Belonging for me is the crux of it all. It sounds easy but it requires so many interpersonal skills to create for oneself, and for others. I think this aspect is not addressed enough.
Thanks for this piece, Eric. Very timely for me as I’m supporting a company working through this at the moment. One thing that stood out for me when identifying the need for belonging, came about a year about when I was taking a self-directed course for adults learning how to apply it into children’s learning environments. It used Maslow’s pyramid to describe how learners must feel like they belong to a safe community to thrive and flourish. Then I applied this to my own work environment, communities, etc and saw how important this truly is for learners of all ages. So I’m starting to help clients create alignment with the team members and helping them see each other for who they are and what they bring to the table. In an increasingly global world, you make a very good point on this awareness.
Well done and looking forward to more valuable insights from you!
Always stirring the pot in such useful ways Eric. Another great topic. You definitely hooked me with your spiky point of view on diversity. I am always on the lookout for simple practices/tools that get right to the heart of things. The WE/THEY test is a brilliant tool to measure where things are really at really the belonging factor, whether you're a leader and want insight into your own team or a consultant trying to help. I'm frequently conducting design calls with C-suite teams to get to the heart of what they're facing and how to speak usefully to the group. I'm going to add this question to my process. Do your people say "we" or "they" when talking about your company?