INCLUSION

How do you make others feel involved?

Inclusion is the first stage in the process of psychological safety of your employees, a process we talked about in the previous article. Here are points of inclusion and how to use them to make people feel important, needed, and active in your company.

1. Learn inclusion as a human need and right. Teach your team members to approach each other with the understanding that we all have a human need to be involved and we have a right to do so. It is a human right. We long to belong and we deserve to belong. In this process of connection, we exchange emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual values. Inclusion is not something we should earn; it is something we owe. We are hyper-social creatures who need each other.

2. Introduce yourself at the first opportunity. Be proactive in introducing yourself to those who are new or don’t know you. Most people are shy and reluctant to take the first step. If you do that, others feel relieved. Once you break the ice and show warmth and acceptance, the feeling of inclusion is quickly formed.

3. Learn people’s names and how to pronounce them. Nothing is more personal than your name. When a new person joins the team, find out their name immediately. If you don’t know how to pronounce it, ask.

4. Physically confront people. Nothing communicates validation more strongly than when you turn directly to the person you are talking to, upright and leaning forward.

Finally, look them in the eye. This applies both when you speak and when you listen.

5. Listen and pause. Listen with the intent to understand, not with the intent to respond. Do it by listening, stopping to think, and then reacting with a thoughtful answer. Have you ever talked to someone and you can say that they are just waiting for you to finish a sentence and then jump in? It’s not always a problem, but if it’s a recurring pattern, it becomes a problem.

6. Ask twice as much as you say. When you ask someone a question, it is a call for engagement and a form of confirmation. Your saying may be fine, but if you do too much, it only signals selfishness, arrogance, and domination, everything they refuse. Don’t chase away inclusion.

7. Meet the person in their physical space. Don’t make them come to you. This sends a clear message that you appreciate them, their time, and their contribution as you reach out to them on their behalf. It is a gesture of respect and people appreciate it. And you will notice that people feel more comfortable with their space. Chances are good that you will have a better interaction – both intellectually and emotionally – if you meet them in their personal space.

8. Implement as a guide. Have you visited a big city and toured those “hop on / hop off” buses? Apply the same practice when someone joins your team or organization. Formally assign a member of your team to be that person’s personal guide. They have a personal guide during the first week who conducts social tours to speed up relationship building. A personal guide can make short, ten-minute detours around the office. Ensure that these interactions are meaningful enough to move the team’s relationships beyond the dating phase. Don’t accept the usual pace of building a social network. You can double, triple, or quadruple the pace at which this would happen on its own.

9. Quickly move on to mutual interests. Ask your team members questions to discover their personal interests and find common ground. This is a natural skill of building relationships that you can practice and improve. In fact, you may even want to write down some questions that you would have asked before entering the conversation. Once you step out of the obligatory and useless regime of social exchange into mutual discovery, the building of relationships accelerates. Don’t research too many personal or sensitive topics. Just ask a few natural questions about origins and interests.

10. Avoid comparisons and competitions. When we compare and compete with each other, we lose the ability to connect. As a leader, focus your efforts on establishing meaningful connections with your team members. Identify and recognize the strengths, talents, and abilities of each person and point them out. Avoid the temptation to be jealous or resentful of the strength of others, especially when it is the strength you may not possess. In fact, if you can rejoice in the strength of your team members, you become an honest and authentic leader, and the connections you create become deeper and more real.

11. Create opportunities for deep connectivity. Only by exchanging experiences and building relationships do individuals develop a sense of belonging to a team. When a new team member arrives, that individual needs warmth and courtesy to feel comfortable. But the real task is to move from creating mere comfort to creating a deep sense of belonging. Find projects, assignments, or assignments that allow individuals to spend significant time together. From that familiarity, deep bonding normally occurs.

12. Define and communicate the purpose and values ​​of your team. To feel part of a team, an individual must understand why the team exists, how it works and why it stands for. The team must first define its values, purpose, and goals and continuously communicate these things to the members of the team it has.

13. Identify negative bias. Prejudice is a preference for or against a human trait, an individual or a group of people. As humans, we all have them. Sometimes they are hidden. Sometimes they are obvious. For example, imagine having a boss who likes to recruit team members from a certain city, place, and school. That might be fine up to a point, but if everyone is from the same school, it may become a problem. Some biases are good in themselves. Some are bad by nature. Some are good to the point.

Organizations and teams often develop hidden negative biases that are destructive to the sense of inclusion of team members. For example, I worked with an organization that developed a bias not to promote women in a particular management role. That bias has become deeply ingrained in the culture of the organization and people have taken it for granted and extended the bias. That’s not a good thing. The question is, what are you doing?

Occasionally ask team members if they can recognize any pattern of negative bias in the team. Then proceed to remove them. You should do this regularly. If you are humble and open-minded, you will often see how previously hidden biases have become apparent.

14. Check the alignment. Both the sense of belonging that each individual feels and the sense of alignment that the whole team feels is never a permanent thing. Before we move on, let’s define the alignment.

First, alignment means we have a common understanding of our directions. Second, alignment means sharing a commitment to that direction. Both must be constantly reinforced. Pull team members informally aside and ask them how well they understand the vision and direction of the team and how committed they are to achieving them. And if it helps, let them use the scale. You may ask, “Using a scale of 0 to 10, how well do you think you understand the vision and direction of the team? “And then you can ask, using the same scale, how committed you feel to the vision and direction of the team. Once an individual rates you, you can honestly discuss the settlement. Remember, alignment is perishable. Constant reinforcement is needed, and a team that feels aligned is usually a team that feels involved.

15. Create connecting rituals. Sometimes it helps to develop recognizable patterns of communication and behavior that help team members connect. We call them rituals. For example, you may develop a ritual for a team member to start each meeting with an inspirational quote, set up a team lunch every Friday, or call a team member each month to recognize his or her contribution.

Some teams have a short crowd at the beginning of the day instead of sitting down. Rituals become routine, and people love routine. It gives them a sense of belonging and predictability. Discover what suits your team’s atmosphere and personalities. Rituals also create security and awareness for disturbing times of change, contrast, and surprise. Part of what an inclusive team can do is prevent the team from nervousness and very disruptive aspects of change. Rituals strengthen inclusiveness. Don’t forget to create a connecting ritual.

16. Share your story, learn their story. Build a relationship by sharing the right background and experiences about yourself. Be the first to expose yourself a little emotionally. Then ask other people, “Tell me your story.” Most people are excited to share their stories if they have them with someone who is genuinely interested. This is a textbook inclusion right there.

Here’s a suggestion … Just ask yourself now. Do I know the stories of each member of my team beyond a few superficial facts? Why is this important? If you haven’t noticed, most people want you to understand what makes them human, how they are made, and what they care about. When you understand that, you really begin to understand the person. We do not suggest that you understand the intimate details of that person. Not at all. But I suggest you understand their values, vision, and motivation. If you reach that level with your team members, it will transform your relationship because they will feel involved on a deeper and more significant level.

17. Be available and interrupt. Everyone is busy, but if you try to make yourself a little more accessible and intermittent, it sends a strong message that you value people more than tasks. At my job as an ordinary worker, I was constantly doing my homework, but when my colleagues called me to help them, I interrupted my work and went to help them with theirs. I considered it collegial and human, so I never had any problems with my colleagues.

18. They do not boast of benefits or status symbols. Strengthen the inclusive norm by avoiding the status of symbols that create difference and division. People are sensitive to differences such as office size, parking benefits, or fee structure. There will always be differences. Just don’t get inappropriate attention from them for your own praise. That breaks inclusion in half.

19. Fulfill small obligations. If you commit, fulfill it, especially if it is small. Sweating over little things is an expression that you respect and value others. You replicate that onto others and they follow up. It seals the bond and creates automatic inclusion.

20. Create opportunities for socializing outside of work. When we remove the agenda from our talks, much better we get to know and appreciate each other, which allows us to cooperate more efficiently when we return to work. Inclusion grows with a more personal connection and builds trust.

21. Never hide behind a title, position, or authority. These are simply artifacts that the organization gives you to complete the job. Don’t confuse these things with your own identity. If you hide behind these things out of insecurity you create an obstacle to inclusion.

22. Avoid exclusive patterns of social interaction. Assess your patterns of interaction with your team members. Beyond everything that is necessary for your role, avoid interacting with the same people on a social basis. This creates invisible social barriers and a sense of exclusion. Deliberately address members of your team for whom you may not have a natural inclination. Be democratic with your time and attention.

23. Prohibit personal attacks. People make mistakes, fail, and often do wrong. But they still have the right to be respected and allowed to participate in what they do. There is never an excuse for a personal attack. Highlight even marginal comments or behaviors that may make a person feel disrespected or marginalized.

24. Reply to messages immediately. The timeliness of your response partially communicates your respect for that person. Although there are cases that justify a delayed response, try to respond immediately to those who leave you inquiries. When you are consistent in the answer pattern, you communicate inclusion.

25. Control nonverbal cues. You communicate more nonverbally than verbally. Be careful not to send non-verbal signs that communicate an exception. Examples include rolling your eyes, fidgeting or drumming your fingers, looking bored or disgusted, or allowing yourself to be distracted in the middle of a conversation. Your team members will also read your body language as they listen to what you say. You could break inclusion for yourself by doing it wrong.

26. Avoid self-serving status references. There are differences in roles and responsibilities in any hierarchy. These differences may also include differences in the value and importance of individuals based on status. Be careful to avoid elitist or useful references to yourself if you occupy a position that is higher in the status hierarchy. Instead, try to minimize those differences and create a sense of equality between you and other team members.

27. Use appropriate humor as a relief valve. When the pressure rises and people feel stress, look for ways to alleviate it with humor. If you point out stupid or ironic things in a witty way, your own mistakes and shortcomings can alleviate the pressure in a healthy way and further confirm the value of people.

28. Ask about needs and challenges. Your team members will often say nothing when they have a problem or challenge. Be explicit at the right time and ask your team members what their needs are or the challenges they face. Sometimes these needs are related to work. Sometimes they are more personal. People often just need to be asked before they open up and give you a chance to offer your support.

29. Ask for feedback and help. When you encounter a problem or challenge, don’t be afraid to ask others for help. This does two things: First, it acknowledges the fact that you are human and need help. Secondly, it gives others a legitimate opportunity to help you in a significant way, which always serves to strengthen your relationship. We often fail to ask for help because we are too proud or embarrassed. Don’t make that mistake.

30. Express gratitude. When team members perform well, express your sincere gratitude. This immediately creates a sense of inclusion for anyone that took part in that. When they make an effort but fail to meet their goals, recognize their efforts with empathy.

31. Avoid digital addiction and overdose. In the digital age, we are overwhelmed by ways of connecting. Some of them bring meaning and real inclusion. Others leave us feeling alone. If we connect unreasonably and too often on social networks it can lead to harmful addictions and overdoses. Like you and your team members: What relationships do you feel exhausted? What connections leave you energized with a real sense of inclusion?

32. Increase inclusion on a daily basis. The sense of inclusion that people feel in a team is fragile. It can break very quickly. Even when it is not broken, it will fade over time, if it is not strengthened. The perishable nature of inclusion requires constant reinforcement. The easiest way to do this is with daily greetings and thanks.

33. Conduct frequent, short points of contact. Humans are hyper-social creatures, born to connect. Short, frequent interactions are far more effective than long but rare ones. It is the frequency that builds and strengthens the connection.

Here’s an example: If your boss approached you with these two training options, which would you choose – one hour in one session once a month or three five-minute informal training sessions each week? Both options include 60 minutes of total training time per month, only a different schedule of time. What would you choose? The first option is a long-lasting, traditional training pattern, while the second is a short-cycle, micro-training pattern.

We recently interviewed employees about d over 50 organizations and asked just this question. 80 percent of millennials preferred the option of three five-minute workouts. They reported feeling malnourished in the coaching interactions they have with their bosses and consider the traditional pattern a fictional formality in the field of confirmation. Mostly your team members will prefer frequent, short difficult points. Evaluate your pattern of interaction with your team members. There is probably a chance that you will follow this pattern a little more carefully.

34. Be on time. When you are punctual, you show respect to the other person and respect for his time. Your timeliness sends a signal that you care not only about your meager resource of time but also about theirs. If you know you will be late, call the person in advance to inform them and ask them if they would prefer to change the schedule. Apologize without excuse. Recognize the value of their time and the fact that you spend it.

So there you go. We have covered most of the inclusion process and we hope that you will use it through the whole team. Inclusion, by the way, is just a starting process that opens up a lot. For the next process, go here to find out what awaits you.