Belonging @ Work Keeps It Real
Feb 23, 2025
Do you know someone who reads so many books that just about every conversation includes something like, “Well, I’m reading [title] by [author] and she said something fascinating [big idea]”?
Do you think as you listen to this avid reader, “Why can’t I see that showing up in your work?”
It’s one thing to read a book. It’s another to answer the “Now what?” question and implement it.
A belonging @ work culture shifts awareness so teams collaborate, identities catalyze, and connections deepen. Yet the pull of the familiar is as strong as gravity. You know what a belonging @ work culture involves, but you slip back into previous behaviors a little at a time until one day you realize, “Hey, our belonging quotient is lower.”
It’s important for you to keep it real @ work. You must evaluate often to sustain the belonging @ work culture; to stay in touch with the reality of how your company rolls so you constantly improve the belonging elements.
David Friedman shared something profound in our Work Positive Podcast conversation: "Most people that you talk to that think they're doing a good job with [Keep It Real] will write the stereotypical vision, mission value stuff . . . I make a really big deal about the difference between what I call values and what I call behaviors."
A focus on behaviors helps you stay in touch for continual improvement.
After all, do you really need to clarify your vision statement. . . again?
Or do you need systems that convert the shifting of awareness, teams collaborating, identities catalyzing, connections deepening from ideas into daily reality?
David went on to say, "Most people aren't very good at sticking with things . . . we start the diet and exercise program that doesn't last. We roll out the program at work that doesn't last. When something becomes a ritual, it's not hard to do. It's just what we do." (Check out our conversation here.)
Ritual systems help us transform from where we are in the Work Positive Culture journey to where we want to be. We lean into them to systematize the support of certain behaviors.
Think about it this way.
Ever planted a garden in early spring? It’s exciting to put those first seeds in the ground.
The challenging part? That requires a ritual system to keep them growing through every season. Weeding: how much and how often? Watering: what was the rainfall and how much do you water? Fertilizing: what’s the soil analysis and how much nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium do you add?
A ritual system reads the current conditions and responds with the end in mind of eating delicious fresh vegetables for a healthy lifestyle.
Belonging @ work requires the same keep-it-real ritual system to S.T.I.C.K. to your culture and grow people and profits.
Maria, an HR leader at a non-profit organization, learned this lesson firsthand. "We had this amazing cultural transformation," she told me. "Belonging was through the roof. Then we got busy with a big project, took our eyes off culture for a few months, and watched it all start to slip away."
Here are three best practices to grow your Keep It Real ritual systems:
Growth Cycles: Build systematic development opportunities. A healthcare organization's "Growth Guilds" provide regular skill-sharing and learning moments. Internal promotion rates increased 65% and stayed high.
Adaptation Practices: Stay flexible while working within the ritual system. A manufacturing company's "Evolution Engine" helps them adapt their ritual systems as business develops.
Truth Focus: Create opportunities where people keep it real. A healthcare organization instituted monthly gatherings where team members share openly about their challenges and celebrations. Employee engagement increased 45% in six months.
As you create your keep-it-real ritual systems to support and sustain belonging @ work, be sure to:
Address Issues Early: Problems fester. One tech leader implements "Care Conversations" at the first sign of ritual dysfunction.
Keep Communication Open: Maintain dialogue in difficult times. A healthcare organization's "Challenge Circles" provide structured ways to discuss problems.
Stay Future-Focused: Keep the vision clear during struggles. Lead by noting the current reality and shifting focus to the preferred future.
Do more than talk about belonging @ work. Create a keep it real culture that grows people and profits.
Taken from Dr. Joey’s soon-to-be-released book, Belonging @ Work: 5 Shifts that S.T.I.C.K. a Positive Culture.
What’s your question about how to create a positive work culture? Ask Dr. Joey here.
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