Dear Faculty Relations听鈥斕�I'm an academic leader committed to fostering a sense of belonging for all faculty in our department. How should I focus my efforts? 鈥� Believes in Belonging听
Dear Believes in Belonging听鈥斕�We鈥檙e fortunate that 精品SM在线影片 professor Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson is an expert in this subject. In her keynote for Excellence in Leadership Program Fellows and alums this past year, she highlighted contributing factors to an individual鈥檚 sense of workplace belonging听that might focus your efforts.听
My Voice Is Heard听
Feeling heard is the most essential contributing factor. Ask yourself, how can I work to ensure that every faculty member feels heard? Might anyone feel excluded from critical meetings, social events, or personal connection with colleagues?听听
I鈥檓 Treated Fairly听
When someone perceives that their identity is impacting their access to opportunity, it鈥檚 hard for them to feel that they belong. Ask yourself, how can I equitably support opportunity for everyone?听
I鈥檓 Essential听听
Individuals thrive when they feel that they鈥檙e essential to the success of their team. Ask yourself, how can I communicate to people that their unique expertise, talents, and contributions are critical to the team's success?听
Dr. Johnson emphasized that individuals want to feel that they belong as they are. This means feeling that they don鈥檛 need to show up differently to be heard and valued. She stresses five actions that anyone can take, represented by the acronym AEIOU. 听
Amplify: Ensure that your colleagues' voices are heard and that their ideas are听recognized.听
Edify: Increase your knowledge to teach your colleagues and to support their听growth and development.听
Identify: Work to build personal relationships with team members. 听
Optify: Take every opportunity to shine a light on others鈥� accomplishments!听
Unify: Engage everyone in the team in working toward the inclusion and belonging听of all.听
Fostering belonging is a critical component of leadership. Ask your colleague leaders what strategies and ideas they can share with you, and delve deeper with Dr. Johnson鈥檚 book (Harper Business, 2020).听听
Written by Merinda McLure, Faculty Director for Academic Leadership Development, Office of Faculty Affairs, drawing on a keynote presented by Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson. and copies of Inclusify can be accessed through the University Libraries. 听