A braham Maslow, humanistic psychologist and architect of the hierarchy of human needs, identified love and belonging as a need for every human being on his or her path to self-actualization.
Throughout the history of humankind, we have counted on our tribes, families, churches and neighborhoods to be our communities: the vessels of belonging.
With the advent of the industrial age and into the information age, we are no longer able to count on family, neighborhood or church to offer us a sense of belonging. For many people, there is a profound experience of isolation and despair. We hear of teens desperate to connect, texting friends 80-plus times per day, and experiencing severe anxiety when they don’t receive an immediate response day or night. Many of our neighborhoods suffer gang violence, drugs and death. They are filled with dis-ease.
As early as 1630, John Winthrop, the first governor of Mass Bay Colony, offered these wise reflections to his fellow colonists before they set foot on land: “We must delight in each other, make others’ conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our community as members of the same body.”
The origin of the word community comes from the Latin words munus, which means the gift, and cum, which means together, among each other. Community means to give among each other.
Can the workplace become the community we long for?
In order for community to evolve inside the workplace, leaders need to foster a level of relationship that transcends business. Effective leadership creates an environment for community. Some would ask why that would even be a desired goal inside a business organization. The answer is simple: It is good for business. When employees experience their work environment as a place that supports their growth and development; invites their voices to be heard, and calls them to live into the mission and values of the organization, their level of energy and commitment is palpable.
The Great Place to Work Institute suggests that “great organizations create cultures in which everyone is inspired and has the opportunity to contribute their talents and the best of themselves.” Great Place to Work has found that in the “best companies, this isn’t so much a business transaction, as part of a generous cycle of gifts exchanged between members of the organization. Applying this approach is the secret to great workplaces’ long-term stability and success.”
Mark Loehr, former CEO of SoundView Technology, a technology brokerage firm in Connecticut, exemplified the spirit of community after the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001. Loehr’s first response was to invite all employees to come to the office the next day – not to work, but to share their grief. In the following days, Loehr was there as people wept together, and he urged people to talk about what they were going through. Every night at 9:45 p.m. he sent out an e-mail to the entire company about the personal side of the ongoing events.
Loehr went a step further. He encouraged and guided a discussion of how to find meaning in the chaos through an action all employees could participate in to help out. Rather than just making a group donation, they decided to donate their company’s proceeds from one day of trading to those victimized by the tragedy. On an average day, that might be more than half a million dollars…but as they spread word of what they wanted to do with their clients, it inspired an amazing response: They raised more than $6 million that day.
During a recent leadership retreat, managers described with great enthusiasm and energy, the experience of working together on a company-wide initiative that required everyone to “roll up their sleeves” and respond to the immediate needs of clients. While the days were exhausting, it was apparent that they experienced the best of community.
They described characteristics that have been identified by the Great Place to Work Institute, including:
Respect. “…reaching out and making employees partners…fostering collaboration.”
Pride. “The division between management and employee fades; employees take pride in their work; their teams and their company.”
Camaraderie. “Employees can be themselves at work, and they celebrate successes of their peers…”
Their challenge now is to integrate the qualities of that eventful experience into everyday work life.
What are the changes that you may need to make as a leader as you consider the value of workplace community?
Are you able to say, as John Winthrop said in 1630: “We must delight in each other, make others’ conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our community as members of the same body.” n
Karen Vernal is the president of Vernal Management Consultants, LLC, a Milwaukee-based leadership and organizational firm dedicated to “igniting the spirit and skills of leaders.” The company is one of two firms in the nation to be certified in Emotional Intelligence through the Institute for Health and Human Potential. For additional information, visit www.vernalmgmt.com.
