Our CEO Heather Haas delves into "Building a Culture of Belonging in Hybrid Environments" with Mihae Ahn, Kayla Giordano, and Dr. Julia Wiener

How to Build a Culture of Belonging in Hybrid Environments

Recently, our CEO Heather Haas joined a powerful panel discussion with marketer Kayla Giordano, author Mihae Ahn, MBA and host Julia Blandin Wiener, Ph.D., to delve into how culture champions can create belonging in hybrid environments. For anyone who works in a hybrid workplace, here are some of our favorite takeaways:

We all have a need to belong.

It’s in our DNA. So fostering a workplace of belonging should be a priority for every organization. There are four important levels of connection:

1. Connection to the job.
2. Connection to their manager.
3. Connection to their team.
4. Connection to the culture.

In a hybrid environment, these are more important than ever. Simple tactics like “connection before content” and peer-to-peer recognition can have a big impact on employees’ sense of belonging, long-term engagement, and connection to your organization.

Technology can help.

Belonging doesn’t just happen in meetings; it happens in between meetings. If spontaneous interactions are typically a product of proximity, how can you replicate water cooler moments digitally?

Invest in leadership development.

What programs can you establish in your organization to help your leaders learn EQ and other tools to create a sense of belonging for your people? (See below!)

Create horizontal opportunities vs. top-down.

One fun and powerful way to spread out horizontal connectivity is “CEO for a day” – let other people run the monthly all-hands meeting, etc. What can you do in your organization to mix it up vs. consistent “top down” communication?

The future of work is human-centered.

With AI, durable human skills are more important than ever. Purpose is power. A purpose and values-based connection transcends hybrid work arrangements. How can you leverage your culture to maintain a connection across all employees, regardless of whether they are in office or remote?

Consistency and reinforcement is key.

Communicate regularly, and focus on purpose and belonging. Connect those communications to the culture and mission. Leverage your organization’s values. How can you tie acknowledgments to broader strategic aims?

Watch the full panel discussion

Development programs for leaders of all levels

The Emerging Leader Series is tailored to the unique needs of high performers who are early in their career journey and those who are ready to springboard into their first formal leadership role. This experience helps high achievers navigate the pivot from being individual contributors to focusing on getting results through others. Learn more. 

Leadership Fundamentals offers front-line supervisors and mid-level managers the opportunity to learn and practice the skills necessary to make the shift from overseeing tasks to coaching performance and developing others. Participants gain clarity about the specific mindsets and behaviors for creating an effective work environment. Learn more.

Leadership Academy is specifically designed for established leaders and managers of managers who seek to create competitive advantage for their organizations through people and culture. This experience helps leaders build emotional intelligence and includes executive coaching as well as a capstone project. Learn more. 

Get ahead of the curve by relying on wisdom, not effort

by Mandy Haskett, as seen in the Indianapolis Business Journal 

I’m in the thick of a CEO search for a client who’s retiring in December – a passing of the torch that feels all at once routine and profound. And amid the varied hopes of leaders who are laser-focused on nailing a particular kind of successor, I’m giving a lot of thought to what leaders must learn – or unlearn – in the second half of life.

Like most of my peers lodged here in the soft underbelly of midlife, I’m still “striving.”

I catch myself hustling through my days like a squirrel hoarding acorns for winter. If I can pile up enough wins before my prefrontal cortex shrivels up, I’ll be fine, right? Wrong. But human. Like my retiring-CEO friend, I’ll need a new plan entirely.

Meet the striver's curse.

Continue reading...

What we're sharing

• HR Professionals Crave a System for Culture Change – Here’s What Works | Gut + Science podcast

• How ADVISA Helps Create Spaces Where People Love to Work | Business, Equity & Opportunity show on WISHTV

• Perspectives: Quiet Cracking | The Predictive Index

What we're consuming

• The most powerful predictor of team success | TEDxMcMasterU

• Why Your Work Culture Deserves Tender Loving Care
  | Forbes

• 3 in 5 employers say soft skills are more important than ever
  | HR Dive

Culture Starts Here™