A Missing Ingredient for Organizational Success

April 14th was the 25th anniversary of Netflix. In his LinkedIn post, Co-Founder Marc Randolph mentioned:

“I know it could have gone very differently. I can point to hundreds of other forks in the road… [that remind] me of the importance that luck plays in every success story… Speaking of luck, what about the people? We started out just wanting to enjoy work, and ended up showing it was possible to build a culture based on radical honesty, freedom and responsibility…. I’m proud of everything that we accomplished. We started out wanting to solve an interesting problem, and ended up proving that a handful of people with a crazy idea and a bit of determination can change the world.”

When we hear about enduring organizational greatness, we hear about a culture in which people feel they belong.

I’m inspired by Randolph’s humility – his acknowledging the role that luck and other people played in Netflix’s success. He also shows genuine regard for others’ dignity by stressing a culture in which people feel they belong. Belonging comes from a sense of shared identity, values, and experiences – which result in people feeling accepted, supported, and understood.

When people feel they belong to a group, it increases not only their sense of self-worth, but their confidence in their abilities.

In turn, they are more likely to approach tasks with enthusiasm and motivation, and less likely to be deterred by setbacks or failures. This results in greater job satisfaction and performance. A team that feels confident is more likely to take on new challenges and opportunities for growth.

Success like that of Netflix is only possible when leaders leverage the energy and talent of large numbers of people.

Here is what leaders can do to increase their team's sense of belonging:

Start by getting to know your people.

Make time weekly to chat with someone you may not know. Focus on that interaction. Remember their name, what they do, personal details they may volunteer, and what they like or dislike about working here.

Consistently prioritize community-building.

Use vision, work processes, language, and celebration to support this:

1. Vision is critical because people want to belong to something meaningful. Frame what you do to show how it helps people, solves significant problems, protects the community, or otherwise makes a difference. People relate to your vision when their values align, increasing their sense of belonging.

2. Work processes can include casual or formal designs that ensure that everyone is engaged. For example, consider Alan Mulally’s “Working Together Management System” (chapter 7 in The Extraordinary Power of Leader Humility, available here).

3. Language can include acronyms. Also, create fun phrases to describe the group’s successes and reinforce these by frequent usage. When people hear phrases that remind them of positive group outcomes, they feel pride and an increased sense of belonging.

4. Celebrate the wins. Take time to celebrate, even when everyone wants to get back to work. The celebrations reinforce what we’ve been able to achieve together. And that increases the sense of belonging.

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Don't forget the connection between belonging and confidence: High confidence leads to the highest performance.

And that’s The Gist of It™ - a quick read with an actionable tip to increase your leadership success. 

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Marilyn Gist, PhD