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On February 22, members of the #BelongingMovement were challenging to imagine belonging on a global scale.

This call to action is all the more pressing given the Russian war against the Ukrainian people.

This post underscores that the only thing that war accomplishes is strengthening the toxic elements of the dominant culture. The elements steeped in white supremacy culture that harms so many of us.

As the war escalates, so too do the following traits defined by Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones: 1) Power hoarding, 2) paternalism, and 3) defensiveness.

Fortunately, these belonging culture traits practiced by inclusive leaders and DEI professionals can impacts the kind of beliefs and behaviors we pass along to the next generation. Things like, 1) sharing power, 2) trust building across differences, and 3) listening to understand, not respond.

Can you imagine belonging at work…on a global scale?

Perhaps when attempting to answer this question you find yourself being dismissive and cynical, silently saying to yourself, that’s impossible. You may feel justified in your response for good reasons. You might have personally experienced one, some, or all of these common pitfalls that stymie your workplace from advancing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals. These fumbles may include:

• Lacking a long-term plan that clarifies required actions to build a belonging culture.

• Failure to cascade DEI strategies across the organization and the workforce.

• Unaccountable leaders unequipped to model inclusive behaviors.

• An absence of diverse representation in leadership positions.

"I've been reflecting on community lately...community is everything, and I'll never take that for granted...the Belonging Membership Community is an incredible space for #DEI practitioners to learn together, share with each other, and uplift one another. It reminds us that this work cannot be done alone. Changing the world can sometimes feel lonely. If you find yourself lonely in this work, consider joining Rhodes' community." - Bernadette Smith, Inclusive 360 Author

What kind of DEI community care do you need in the year ahead? Read this post, learn from incredible thought leaders including Patricia Omidian, Sage Hayes, and Nakita Valerio who will offer powerful insights to help you answer this big question. Then consider explore the Belonging Membership Community, a space designed for DEI leaders and change makers just like you.

How can you confront systems of oppression hindering your DEI goals? Read this post, and then register for the 3rd Annual Belonging At Work Summit. There you will have the chance to learn from incredible thought leaders including Kad Smith, Leticia Nieto, and McKensie Mack who will offer powerful insights to help you answer this big question.

How can you use your relative power and privilege to advance your organization’s DEI goals? Read this post, and then register for the 3rd Annual Belonging At Work Summit. There you will have the chance to learn from incredible thought leaders including Jamison Green, Lisa Watson, and Justin W.S. Ford who will offer powerful insights to help you answer this big question.

What can we do today to build more safety, more belonging, and more trust for our transgender & nonbinary employees? How can we establish gender inclusive policies, practices, and systems that recognize gender beyond the binary? What is our role in working to end the fatal and state sponsored violence harming the health and well-being of our future workforce? If you’re interested in exploring these critical questions while enhancing your allyship skills, then be sure to read this blog post.

What do we do when we unintentionally make a mistake that harms another person? How do we remain open to learning from these costly mistakes that often jeopardize the trust we are building with the person harmed? How do we take responsibility for our fumbles in order to engage in repair work? Read this post, and then register for the Belonging At Work Summit. There you will have the chance to learn from incredible thought leaders including Kai Cheng Thom, Cheryl Yi Mei Leong, and Anthony Veliz who will offer powerful insights on how to repair and rebuild trust after experiencing harm in the workplace.

Good news! Registration for the 2021 Belonging at Work Summit is officially open, and you are invited. This year's Summit features 20 leading DEI thought leaders sharing this ideas on how to address some of the field’s thorniest challenges. You will connect with other inclusive leaders, visionaries, & DEI change makers ready to help you create healing change at work. Together we will gain new knowledge, skills, and confidence to imagine and then build belonging at work. Thanks for growing the #BelongingMovement!

Happy Transgender Day of Visibility Day (TDOV)! Today is a time to honor the contributions of your transgender & nonbinary (trans) colleagues. One of the best ways to honor this day is by doing your part to show up as an ally - a person helping to build a more gender inclusive workplace. Check out this post and gain a few everyday actions you can take to make a difference today, and throughout the year.

Since January 20th, our vision of building belonging at work got a boost from several Presidential Executive Orders (EOs) that impact our DEI goals. This post offers a brief summary of some of the most relevant Executive Orders and then offers a few reflection questions for DEI leaders to consider along with several resources to help advance your organization’s DEI goals.