Michael Fiss

Building a sense of belonging is an act of leadership. It creates the conditions for people around us to feel supported & valued & to thrive. Even small moments of connection or reflection can have a big impact on people's sense of belonging. @GeoffCohen, author of "Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides", suggests seven ways to build belonging for ourselves & others: 1) Reach out: small actions matter. 2) Don’t underestimate the benefits of connection: even little connections energise us. 3) Don’t be so quick to judge others: we tend to over-blame people (personality/ability/virtues) & under-blame situations & context. 4) Be welcoming at the beginning: we can improve retention by helping new people evoke their best self during the induction process, rather than trying to “break them in.” 5) Give wise criticism: give feedback in a way that helps people learn but isn’t threatening or undermining to their sense of belonging. 6) Share stories of adversity: stories of people who have gone before us help us to see our shared humanity. 7) Listen to other people’s perspectives: ask them questions about what’s standing in the way of their belonging & how we can help. greatergood.berkeley.edu/art…. I've paired this with my favourite graphic about (not) belonging that came via @mme_hopkins

The psychological safety hierarchy of needs at work by @heidipsychology. I appreciate how Heidi has created three categories. At the base are basic safety needs like not being micromanaged. Next is psychological needs like belonging & sense of esteem. At the top is self-fulfilment needs, the ability to be our true, authentic selves. People who work at the top of their pyramid are the ones with the potential to deliver the best performance.

"Bring me a solution, not a problem". Some leaders think that when they say this, they're being "empowering". They're actually encouraging sub-optimal solutions, rather than collaborative problem-solving & risking issues being swept under the carpet. There's another way: medium.com/swlh/great-leader…. Blog: @ant_murphy Graphic: @_workchronicles

If we want continuous improvement, we have to build an "improvement infrastructure": improvement routines & practices embedded into the everyday practice of our leaders & teams. More learning from the NHS-VMI partnership from @DrNicolaBurgess: bit.ly/3Zb2a1V #LeadingQI