Belonging
For all the complexity of humans, some things remain simple and consistent.
Humans are reward-motivated and punishment-averse.
They also care about belonging.
Belonging transcends race, gender, and beliefs.
Your brain is built to seek (and need) a sense of belonging.
While the state of belonging can look very different for each person, one truth remains: your mind operates better when it feels it belongs.
Belonging, when you have it, can feel a bit like oxygen in the air around you; it goes unnoticed.
The metaphor is equally appropriate to a lack of belonging correlating to a lack of oxygen.
Belonging, unlike the oxygen around you, is not something which can be consumed passively.
As a leader, generating belonging is an active process.
Your mind will default to treating belonging like oxygen: something which is available to you and your team as needed.
Belonging is more like coffee, it requires preparation, brewing, and maintenance; without those it runs out.
Quality environments require intentional cultivation.
Beach walks and coffee vibes,
- Morning Cup