Belonging: Bring all of you.

At Intend2Lead, we believe in Belonging: Bring all of you.

We’ve talked before about the magic that can happen when the people on your team feel like they belong. (Missed it, or want a refresher? Check out this quick read.)

When your people feel like they belong, they bring their full selves to work and contribute their unique gifts.

Belonging starts with you. When you choose to bring all of you, you give your team permission to do the same.

So, what does it really mean to “bring all of you?” Here are five ideas for what you could start bringing to work with you:

1. Bring your ideas. Diversity in business and life leads to excellence and innovation. You have a unique background, experience, and perspective to share. When you share that with others, you contribute to better outcomes for all. Not only will you help others learn from your perspective, you’ll encourage them to contribute theirs as well.
2. Bring your emotions. Although many people like to think that work is all about logic, we are emotional beings. Our emotions have tremendous value, allowing us to connect at a human level and serving as guideposts on our leadership journey. When you share your emotions, you model this for others and create more opportunities for authentic connection within your team.
3. Bring your struggles. Many of us share some of the same struggles, whether we realize it or not. When you share your struggles, you give others permission to do so as well. Not only will you and your team learn from one another, you’ll feel lighter when you tackle your challenges together.
4. Bring your celebrations. Too often, we focus on the road ahead of us and neglect to acknowledge the progress we’ve already made. When you celebrate yourself, you allow feelings of joy, accomplishment and worth. You cultivate a greater appreciation for who you are and what you contribute to the world around you. You can more confidently connect with and serve others, expanding your positive impact. When you feel whole and worthy, you can truly celebrate others and lift them up, too.
5. Bring your curiosity. All of us were born with an innate curiosity to learn about the world around us (Do you remember asking, “Why?” a thousand times as a child?). However, most of us were conditioned to stifle that curiosity as we got older because we felt pressured to have all the answers. Unfortunately, trying so hard to look like we have it all together causes us to miss out on valuable opportunities to learn and grow. When you show up with curiosity about yourself, the people around you, and the challenges ahead of you, you unleash new possibilities. (Check out last month’s post to learn more about this leadership super power!

Just think of how much energy it takes to wear a mask to work – to hide so many parts of yourself from your colleagues and put forth an image you think others want to see. What could be possible when you consciously choose to re-invest that energy in connecting with the people around you and tackling your toughest challenges together?

Yes, the idea of bringing all of you to work may feel scary at first. That’s okay. You can start small.

What’s one thing you could do, starting today, to bring just a little bit more of You to work?