The question ‘Where do I belong’ always arises when working with teams or individuals, shaping how I coach and facilitate my leadership and coaching programmes. I know from experience that once you work on connection and belonging, you help individuals to bring their whole selves to their careers, lives and businesses.
I see opportunities to make a difference for organisations facing any number of challenges. They may need help to attract employees back into the office or fully engage their staff in developing an inclusive culture. They may have the rhetoric (values documented) but still need the follow-through in behaviours.
It’s often said that people join an organisation but leave a manager. One key ingredient for managing people effectively is trust. Trust builds and sustains positive relationships between managers and employees and drives a sense of belonging and engagement.
“As we know, engagement drives individual, team and business performance.”
According to the employees, a sense of belonging creates trust and engagement; still, companies need to get it right. Belonging measures visualise and optimise psychological safety, motivational drive and cognitive diversity, the invisible forces that make or break a team. A sense of belonging gives team members a feeling of psychological safety, becoming motivated enough to collaborate, contribute and innovate.
I know the impact organisations experience by creating a culture of belonging where people feel free at work. Free to share, challenge, and be themselves and open about their quirks because that’s how creativity flows, and problems get solved.
My ethos and way of helping organisations shift from where they are to an environment people want to come to, where they feel fully engaged and genuinely value individual differences.
The question you might be asking yourself is how? Well, here’s how:
- This is about heart and soul, and that is special. You invest in your people for self-development, not simply to deliver performance.
- You encourage people to be themselves – and therefore think differently.
- Creating a sense of belonging has been proven to develop higher-performing people by accessing improved thinking power via energy in and out.
This approach is a differentiator. It is a big part of what lies behind the phrase ‘Experience the energy of belonging.’
Remember, your organisation is a living thing. The energy of belonging is the life force which animates it, expresses its soul, and binds together people through shared objectives to which everyone contributes. You nourish this life force by giving people the licence and ability to feel they belong. Without this energy, an organisation is just a collection of people and hardware.
Creating a sense of belonging is about ‘Creating Pride.’
- Pride in yourself
- Pride in your team
- Pride in your work
- Pride in your client’s success
- Pride in the organisation
This provides a platform for leadership at every level and by every company member. Clients will see this as part of the organisation’s spark.
Where my approach comes to life.
My approach is to be flexible with each individual or team and to create a sense of feeling that you belong. I want you to feel secure, supported, accepted and included. I do this through unconditional positive regard, and this approach is designed to encourage you to share thoughts, feelings, and behaviours more openly and feel accepted for who you are, not who you should be.
Where relationships come to life.
I am about relationship creation, whether for the short or long term. My ethos for interpersonal development is about harnessing your potential and bringing your aspirations to life. I am about belonging, not fitting in; this difference is one of the most critical areas to look at but is often missed.
Where belonging comes to life.
My vision is to create effective relationships with individuals and teams by enabling them to feel like they belong no matter what. Belonging is not submissive; it’s not fitting in or the impulse to conform by masking our true identity. Belonging is a practice for individuals and organisations to embrace. Belonging helps to upskill and empower teams to impact and influence business decisions.
Where partnerships come to life.
I partner with individuals and teams who want to become part of something beyond training and development. I aim to bring about change by creating an environment of true belonging. I want you to be accepted just as you are; as we know, this is one of our human desires. I use my 5 E’s model to guide you in achieving this state: Which is, Environment, Engage, Explore, Enhance & Elevate.
Where experience comes to life.
My coaching academy has over 12+ years of delivering ILM-accredited courses, and my teaching experience spans 20+ years. I have authored books on coaching and mentoring and created the INSIGHT CYCLE of coaching and mentoring referenced in coaching and management theory books translated into ten languages.
I have wide-ranging experience in developing people, teams, and businesses. I have worked with Universities, SMEs, and Corporate and International Charities on leadership, coaching, mentoring, behavioural change management and well-being.
My portfolio incorporates a mixture of commercial and partnership training, working with some outstanding companies, including The Duke of Edinburgh Awards, World Vision, Crossroads Care, Wayout Group, Aster Group, The Cabinet Office, Hertfordshire County Council, Schools, Academies, TCHC, Cruise Maritime, Huxloe Logistics, The Skills Funding Agency, ACER, Chamber of Commerce, NHS, DWP, Police Services, Hertfordshire University, SPS, Probation Services, International networks and individuals.
My work is shared via publications, media interviews, blogs, and podcasts. My work has been filmed by local government and universities on the empowering work of initiating behavioural change within the public sector through coaching and training.
The programmes I have developed help strengthen the core of business development and help those involved build pride in themselves and their work through their enhanced ability to identify and tell great stories about belonging.
It brings to life all of the values of an engaging, and I structure this by encouraging learning and sharing, which bring the value of belonging to life. These motivations are set at the centre of my philosophy to ensure I can help empower your people to get great at belonging.
Until next time, x Eileen.
Eileen Hutchinson, Consultant, Coach & Owner of EH Coaching Academy, with centre status from ILM. Eileen specialises in helping clients with inspired learning and leadership development by supporting and equipping talent management with various training or coaching packages. Eileen works with senior management teams, individuals, independents, & other coaches on executive, interpersonal or business coaching.
Websites:
www.eileenhutchinson.com
www.ehcoachingacademy.com