Finding Your Fit and Believing Your Belonging (Wendy Samson, Curt Swenson, 2017)
If you have the opportunity to attend our upcoming Rocky Mountain Center for Women in Leadership Seminar on May 12th in Helena, MT – take note of the lengths and breadths that Wendy Samson goes to, to ensure that all attendees feel like they belong and have a voice at their table. FutureSYNC knows that every professional who has held a mid-to-upper management assignment has probably experienced what it feels like to not “fit” into a new work environment. De-constructing what occurs in those situations can ensure that your own new employees have an amazing on-boarding experience. More importantly, helping team members to not only fit in, but to actually BELONG should be the ultimate assignment!
Brene’ Brown, well known author and researcher particularly for her work on vulnerability, asked eighth graders to describe the difference between fitting in and belonging. These middle school experts revealed that:
- Belonging is being somewhere where you want to be, and they want you.
- Fitting in is being somewhere where you really want to be, but they don’t care one way or the other.
- Belonging is being accepted for being you.
- Fitting in is being accepted for being like everyone else.
- I get to be me if I belong. I have to be like you to fit in.
Not surprisingly, this insightful information directly relates to most professionals’ decision about whether they will stay or go after their first six months on the job! With that being the case, it is imperative then that each new hire – from the front receptionist, to the data entry clerk, to the new CEO – feels like they fit and that they have the opportunity to belong. They know:
They were your first choice – A business or organization’s ability to make the new person feel special and valued from the get go, means not treating anyone as if they were simply “lucky to get the job.”
Their voice will be heard – Those initial meetings, brainstorming events or company Q and A’s can either evoke participation and contribution or quash it. Asking the new person’s opinion and implementing some of their initial ideas will keep them viable and invested.
Their family is welcome – Rolling out the carpet when the family visits the new office for the first time or attends their first family picnic, can ensure long-term commitment that comes from an authentic place of trust and belonging. In fact, a key on-boarding strategy for any business welcoming a new employee who is re-locating, is to find ways to get their whole family involved in the community.
To see some of these inclusion ideas modeled in real time, join us at the Rocky Mountain Center for Women in Leadership event held on May 12th in Helena, MT. To register go to http://www.future-syncevents.com/ or call FutureSYNC International at (406) 254-2326!