Belonging means kinship and emotional connection
“I’m not a joiner,” my entrepreneurial friend Greg explained. “I’m a belonger.” For him, joining made him lose a little of who he was. Belonging, on the other hand, expanded his sense of self and let him be all in with whatever experience the organization offered.
Belonging happens when you successfully cultivate a sense of kinship and emotional connection between you, your people, your customers, your suppliers, etc. For Amare love-powered leaders, belonging is a critical success indicator. It’s part of the ABCs of the Amare Way – Authenticity, Belonging, and Collaboration, and honored as a fundamental human need. And healthy belonging just feels good.
Now imagine your customers saying they belong with your company the way devoted Harley bikers or Steelers fans or Apple patrons do. See your customers melding their personal brand with your brand. They want you to succeed, they are rooting for you! That’s the power of belonging.
1. With what organizations do you feel a sense of kinship and emotional connection?
2. As a leader, how do you foster experiences of belonging?
3. What does your organization do to create “belonging” with your stakeholders?
6 Amare Ways to Create Deep Belonging in Your Organization
1. Start with yourself. Ask yourself if you feel a deep kinship and emotional connection with your organization, and what enhances or diminishes it. Then ask your leadership team (with permission to say no!).
2. Do the research. Identify what actions lead your stakeholders to feel a sense of belonging with your organization. Use the questions in pages 176-177 of my book The Amare Wave: Uplift Your Organization by Putting Love to Work.
3. Walk the talk. Empower and encourage your customer-facing people to take time to connect with customers on a deeper level.
4. Provide megaphones. Give employees and customers easy ways to share their stories and proudly proclaim their affinity for your organization. Track and publicize their praise.
5. Make it core. Treat belonging as the core of your practices to increase engagement, boost diversity, equity, and inclusion, and generate loyalty.
6. Show gratitude. Genuinely thank all your stakeholders for choosing to support your organization.
Belonging is an invaluable relationship asset that takes time to cultivate – and can be easily lost. When belonging happens, you’re no longer just a business, you are a meaningful part of your stakeholders’ lives. Commit to earning and protecting a deep sense of kinship and emotional connection, rooted in the power of love, to boost your success.
You Belong Here: Help Create the Amare Leadership Handbook!
I’m creating a how-to handbook for love-powered leaders based on my coaching work and the last three years of this newsletter. Now, I am inviting in a small team of co-creaters and reviewers. Requirements: passion, honesty, commitment, and a little time. Contact me here.
Today’s Amare Wave Wednesday Quote
“We long to belong, and belonging and caring anchors our sense of place in the universe.”
―Patricia Churchland, pioneer of neurophilosophy
You Might Also Like:
7 Ways Great Companies Create Belonging
How to Make Sure Your Sales Messaging Doesn’t Lie: Three Steps to Emotionally Connect by Being Real
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