Culture is dynamic and ever-evolving. Always involving people - it is fluid and can change extremely quickly. I have observed at first-hand how culture can be different even in two separate divisions of the same company – these different cultures were entirely shaped by the leaders of those divisions. One open collaborative and encouraging, the other controlling, individualistic and stifling.

There seem to be so many examples of poor leadership at present, that I am left wondering - are toxic workplace cultures inevitable? After all, we are talking about work and perhaps, we should just get over it and stop being so unrealistic in expecting working environments to be safe and open.

Then I think of the very best leaders I have worked with, both past and present. They build a psychologically safe environment; they give, creating a feeling of belonging and higher sense of purpose, rather than just expecting and taking the credit.

So, is ‘belonging’ the antidote to the toxic workplace?

Are we safe here?

In his book, The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle examines how high performing groups evolve through the world.

“Belonging cues are behaviours that create safe connection in groups. They include...proximity, eye contact, energy, mimicry, turn-taking, attention, body language, vocal pitch, consistency of emphasis, and whether everyone talks to everyone else in the group. Like any language, belonging cues can’t be reduced to an isolated moment but rather consist of a steady pulse of interactions within a social relationship. Their function is to answer the ancient, ever-present questions glowing in our brains:

Are we safe here?

What’s our future with these people?

Are there dangers lurking?”

Ajay Banga, the current Chairman of Mastercard, shared a story from early in his career whilst he was at Citibank. Sandy Weill, the then CEO, invited him to the senior planning group. Ajay was very nervous and looked and felt different from everyone else in the room. He explained during a podcast with David Novak that when he entered the room Sandy called him over and said:

“I am delighted you are in this room - you will make us better.”

This reduced Ajay’s stress and meant he was accepted and gave him a sense of belonging.

“Behaviours drive culture – culture drives results.” Anant Patel, Vice-President of WEX

Anant’s modus operandi comes from a deep-rooted belief, that to achieve stellar results, you must engage and build a safe environment where people can bring more of their true selves to in turn, produce their best work. A place where everyone belongs. He believes that a leader’s role is to enable people and get out of their way. To praise and not take the credit. For Anant, it is truly all about the team – “One team”.

What makes Anant a servant leader?

He genuinely cares about people, so it feels natural to him to...

Anant has a personality and approach that is all about growth...He loves learning, which is a valuable skill that he has capitalised on to stay constantly adaptive and move forward in his career.

Therefore so what?

So, what are your takeaways from this article to improve the sense of belonging in your culture?

Is it to be more curious about people and your team?

Is it to learn from those who have skills that can enhance your career?

Is it to stay where you are, with a fixed position?

We all have choices to adapt and evolve…now is the time to step up.

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Our purpose is to enable SaaS Sales Professionals to achieve their potential through the power of life-enhancing connections, shared experiences, and collaborative learnings.

If you want to take your career to the next level, as well as improve your skills in Enterprise Sales, please contact me at [email protected]

"Culture is like holding the wind in your hand". Title came from Toni Minichiello podcast interview from Don't Tell Me The Score: Thank you Toni and Simon.