Belonging at Innolect

At Innolect, we practice what we offer to our clients. We use the same listening skills and techniques internally that we teach externally. We live our values—innovation, courage, trust, community, client intimacy, appreciation—both as a business and in our work with others. We believe that bettering the world begins at home, and that it depends on belonging.

Belonging is when people in an organization trust and care for each other, when they are motivated by shared purpose, and when they are appreciated for who they are and what they do. At Innolect, we’re a diverse group of people with widely varying needs, skills and backgrounds located in far-flung locations. We have been working together for years. The simplest explanation for our continuity is that we believe we belong here.

When talking with leaders about how important belonging is to company morale and effectiveness, what can we vouch for based on what we do at Innolect? Here are five themes:

1. Continuous learning

We’re always learning from one other and from designed events. In recent months, we participated in a book group (Belonging by Geoffrey Cohen is a favorite), a case discussion of micro-aggressions (based on real occurrences in client systems), a course in excursion learning (equine-assisted learning to increase our self-awareness “horsepower”), and a personal assessment of openness and flexibility (we completed and debriefed together the Intercultural Development Inventory). There can be no true belonging, at Innolect, when learning stops.

2. Standard practices

We always “check in” with each other before beginning a meeting. We employ “go-rounds” to attain full participation. We use formal appreciative processes (“What do you appreciate about your colleagues that exemplifies an Innolect value?”) and everyday thanks. We congratulate each other after victories, and we mourn when there is a personal loss. And we celebrate! Our meetings are characterized by graciousness, openness and serious intent. We make it compelling to belong in an Innolect gathering.

3. Small wins

A common way we close-out workshops is to ask, “What is a ridiculously small step you can take next to apply this learning?” We know from experience that there is little to be gained by setting sights impossibly high and spending inordinate time on elaborate planning. When a major project comes our way, we like to get going and know that we will make course corrections along the way. We encourage our clients to act. The culture of belonging at Innolect is maintained with forward movement and enthusiastic engagement.

4. Personal relationships

We are curious about each other and concerned about the other people in our lives. Never prying, always caring, we pay attention to partners, friends and family members in the extended Innolect network. We exchange cards as gestures of celebration or condolence. We hold each other in our hearts. Equally, the causes and civic interests we get behind are shared and endorsed. Belonging requires a community spirit that is greater than the sum of interactions among members.

5. Empathy and feedback

Empathy for self and others is enhanced by belonging. At Innolect, empathy is more than warmth and acceptance—it includes inviting feedback and speaking the truth about the impact of our behavior. We explore how well we meet each other’s and our clients’ expectations. Belonging, for us, means we are members of a purposeful community and that we accept our responsibilities to perform the very best work while looking out for one another.

At Innolect, we believe belonging is as crucial to individual and collective wellbeing as social scientists, organizational opinion gatherers and medical doctors are now saying it is. We know, from our decades-long experience as a human development provider, that pursuing deeper levels of belonging is a journey worth taking. Our invitation to you is: Join us and we’ll share what we’ve learned as we learn from you and with you. We can belong together.