Building Belongship: Cultivating Trust and Community
Summary
In today's discussion, we explored the concept of "Belongship," a transformative approach to building a thriving organizational culture. Belongship is about creating an environment where individuals feel trusted, safe, and cared for, which in turn fosters a sense of belonging and community. This concept is not just a soft, afterthought idea but a foundational element that can drive success and innovation within any organization.
The journey of building Belongship begins with the PEAK framework, which stands for Picture of Success, Extreme Focus, Authenticity, and Kindness. Each element plays a crucial role in shaping a culture that not only attracts talent but retains it. The Picture of Success is about having a clear, compelling vision that rallies people together. Extreme Focus ensures that the organization remains aligned and committed to its goals. Authenticity fosters trust and genuine connections, while Kindness creates an environment where people feel valued and respected.
Belongship is not limited to organizational settings; it can also be applied to families and personal relationships. By adopting the principles of Belongship, individuals and organizations can create a culture that is not only successful but also meaningful and fulfilling.
Key Takeaways:
1. Belongship as a Foundational Culture: Belongship is about creating an environment where people feel trusted, safe, and cared for. This sense of belonging is crucial for fostering a thriving community and is not just a soft concept but a foundational element for success. [05:21]
2. The PEAK Framework: The PEAK framework—Picture of Success, Extreme Focus, Authenticity, and Kindness—provides a structured approach to building Belongship. Each element plays a vital role in shaping a culture that attracts and retains talent, driving both personal and organizational success. [08:02]
3. Authenticity and Kindness: These elements are essential for creating loyalty and trust within an organization. Authenticity involves being genuine and transparent, while Kindness ensures that people feel valued and respected. Together, they form the backbone of a strong, supportive culture. [11:38]
4. Practical Implementation: Implementing Belongship involves practical steps such as bringing customers into the organization to share their experiences, fostering personal connections, and maintaining open communication. These actions help to reinforce the culture and ensure alignment with the organization's values. [15:07]
5. Belongship Beyond Organizations: The principles of Belongship can be applied to families and personal relationships, creating a culture of love, grace, and truth. By adopting these principles, individuals can build meaningful and fulfilling relationships that extend beyond the workplace. [28:26]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[01:32] - Introduction to Sangram
[03:06] - Defining Belongship
[04:47] - The Jeep Wave Analogy
[05:21] - Elements of Belongship
[06:02] - The PEAK Framework
[08:25] - Picture of Success
[10:03] - Extreme Focus
[11:38] - Authenticity
[14:18] - Kindness
[16:35] - Implementing Belongship
[18:18] - Retaining Talent
[20:15] - Fixing Existing Cultures
[22:13] - Communication and Focus
[25:02] - Customer Connection
[28:06] - Belongship in Families
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: Belongship
Bible Reading:
1. Romans 12:10 - "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."
2. Colossians 3:12-14 - "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
3. 1 Peter 4:8-10 - "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms."
Observation Questions:
1. What are the three key feelings that define Belongship according to the sermon? ([05:21])
2. How does the PEAK framework contribute to building a culture of Belongship? ([06:02])
3. What role does authenticity play in fostering trust within an organization? ([11:38])
4. How can the principles of Belongship be applied beyond organizational settings, such as in families? ([28:06])
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of Belongship align with the biblical call to love and honor one another as seen in Romans 12:10?
2. In what ways does the PEAK framework reflect the virtues mentioned in Colossians 3:12-14, such as kindness and humility? ([06:02])
3. How might the practice of bringing customers into the organization to share their experiences relate to the biblical principle of hospitality in 1 Peter 4:8-10? ([15:07])
4. What are the potential challenges of implementing authenticity and kindness in a competitive business environment, and how can these be overcome? ([11:38])
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt a strong sense of belonging in a community. What elements contributed to that feeling, and how can you replicate those elements in your current environment? ([05:21])
2. Consider the PEAK framework. Which element do you find most challenging to implement in your personal or professional life, and why? ([06:02])
3. How can you practice authenticity in your daily interactions, and what impact might this have on your relationships? ([11:38])
4. Identify a specific way you can show kindness to a colleague or family member this week. How might this action contribute to a culture of Belongship? ([14:18])
5. Think about your family or close relationships. How can the principles of Belongship, such as trust and care, be integrated to strengthen these bonds? ([28:06])
6. What practical steps can you take to ensure open communication and personal connections in your workplace or community? ([15:07])
7. How can you use your unique gifts to serve others and foster a sense of community, as encouraged in 1 Peter 4:8-10?
Devotional
Day 1: Belongship as a Foundation for Community
Belongship is about creating an environment where individuals feel trusted, safe, and cared for. This sense of belonging is crucial for fostering a thriving community and is not just a soft concept but a foundational element for success. When people feel they belong, they are more likely to contribute positively and engage deeply with the community or organization. This foundational culture of Belongship can drive success and innovation by ensuring that everyone feels valued and part of a larger purpose. [05:21]
"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." (Romans 12:4-5, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you contribute to creating a sense of belonging in your community or workplace today?
Day 2: The PEAK Framework for Success
The PEAK framework—Picture of Success, Extreme Focus, Authenticity, and Kindness—provides a structured approach to building Belongship. Each element plays a vital role in shaping a culture that attracts and retains talent, driving both personal and organizational success. A clear Picture of Success rallies people together, while Extreme Focus ensures alignment with goals. Authenticity fosters trust, and Kindness creates an environment where people feel valued and respected. Together, these elements form a powerful framework for cultivating a thriving culture. [08:02]
"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." (Proverbs 16:3, ESV)
Reflection: Which element of the PEAK framework do you find most challenging to implement in your life, and how can you take a step towards embracing it today?
Day 3: Authenticity and Kindness as Cultural Pillars
Authenticity and Kindness are essential for creating loyalty and trust within an organization. Authenticity involves being genuine and transparent, allowing for real connections to form. Kindness ensures that people feel valued and respected, fostering a supportive environment. Together, these elements form the backbone of a strong culture where individuals are motivated to contribute their best. By prioritizing these values, organizations can build a loyal and committed community. [11:38]
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (Romans 12:9-10, ESV)
Reflection: How can you practice authenticity and kindness in your interactions today, especially with those you find difficult to connect with?
Day 4: Practical Steps to Implement Belongship
Implementing Belongship involves practical steps such as bringing customers into the organization to share their experiences, fostering personal connections, and maintaining open communication. These actions help to reinforce the culture and ensure alignment with the organization's values. By actively engaging with these practices, individuals and organizations can create a more inclusive and connected environment that supports growth and success. [15:07]
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:11, ESV)
Reflection: What is one practical step you can take today to foster a sense of belonging in your relationships or community?
Day 5: Extending Belongship Beyond Organizations
The principles of Belongship can be applied to families and personal relationships, creating a culture of love, grace, and truth. By adopting these principles, individuals can build meaningful and fulfilling relationships that extend beyond the workplace. This approach encourages a holistic view of community, where every interaction is an opportunity to foster belonging and connection. [28:26]
"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling." (1 Peter 4:8-9, ESV)
Reflection: How can you apply the principles of Belongship to strengthen your family or personal relationships today?
Quotes
So when I think about Belong Ship is that Belong ship is where people feel these three things. They feel that they're trusted, they feel that it's a safe environment, and they feel like you care about them. And again, these three things are, as we all know individually, everybody talks about it. But when they come together in an environment where trust is there, safety is there, care is there, you feel like, oh my God, I can run through walls. And I saw that firsthand at Terminus. [00:05:17]
Picture of success means not that we're going to have a million in revenue. That's what a lot of companies have startup. I want to have a million that's not picture of success. That's like, okay, well, I'm not going to run through all for that, but picture of success today, we are going to change the way marketing and sales is done. So we created a funnel that every marketing salespeople understood, and we flipped it and called it my funnel. Now, that way people knew this is what we are trying to do. [00:08:38]
Extreme focus is the ability to have this one thing that you're super focused on. So one of the things we think, and we did as a matter of fact, was like, you know what? We are going to own the narrative. That was our focus. We are going to own the narrative of challenging the status quo. So we said we are going to do something that no other startup typically does. In the very first year, we are going to write a book on this, and we are going to go Wiley or somebody, big publisher to publish our book so that we get authority on that topic. [00:10:10]
When we actually came out with Terminus, we said, you know what? We need to do an event. That's how startups do. We need to throw an event and tell people that we have arrived. Guess nobody came to that thing because nobody wanted to know about Terminus. Nobody cared about Terminus. Nobody wanted to sponsor Terminus. We were like, what's wrong? What do we do? We have arrived, but nobody cares about us. We literally went and bought the domain for eight bucks, flip my funnel, call the same sponsors and say, Hey, could you sponsor this event called Flip My Funnel? [00:11:51]
We bring in a customer in the office now virtually for our all hands meetings. So we had a customer, I'll tell you a quick story on that. We had Daniel Day, one of our customers come in. This was in the second year of our company. And he said, so he's a business. Owner. He is a marketer who buys our product, he our product. He talks about our product. We are like, Hey, why don't you come and share your experience with it? So we'll invite them to once a month, all hands meeting where the entire company is sitting and the focus is all on the customer. [00:14:30]
We want everybody from the sales person to the marketing person, to the back office person to know who we serve. It is very, very important. A lot of companies completely miss on that. They just keep going, doing their thing. But if everybody doesn't know who we are serving and what what matters to them, they'll change. But here's what Daniel said, Andy, that still today is talked about in the company. He said, Sangram, you and your organization has changed my life. Wow. His personal life, his personal life. And we are like, dude, there's no way. [00:15:03]
I hope nobody misses this part, Andy, the p and e, the picture of success and extreme focus. I think most companies have that. And that's great. That's how you actually hire great people. Here's our vision, here's where we're going, here's what we're doing. You can hire great people, but the A and K, the authenticity and kindness is why your people stay in your company. The good people. The good people. That's why your customers want you around. That's how you actually create loyalty Very quickly, Brian Halligan, who's the CEO of HubSpot, he's an investor in Terminus, and he said, well, how do you do this? [00:18:21]
And you've kind of talked about this, but this is so important, and we talk about this a lot on podcast, but recreating or trying to fix a culture is so difficult. So if somebody says, Hey, this is helping me, because I mean, every organization has a culture, whether you can define it or not, whether it's good or not, you don't have to create culture. You have one. It's there. You've inherited one, you accidentally, the culture is there. So what do you say to the group that says, well, unfortunately I can't start over. [00:19:46]
I think you've said this, something is like what gets rewarded is repeated. I'll say the same thing on that. I'll echo that. I want people to take that home with it because for example, bringing a customer in the office virtually or physically is something that I see 90, 80% of the companies not doing it. I don't understand that you can literally take that and help that customer shape the messaging and what you are stand for. What makes it extremely personal. Extremely personal. [00:20:22]
When I ask people what's the most important meeting, there's all kinds of meetings people talk about. It's actually your one-on-one. That's really where your culture is created, your one-on-one meeting. Because if you're a leader and you're having a one-on-one with somebody that reports to you, that person is going to prepare, that's going to person is stressing about it. That person has an agenda. And if you are late to that meeting, if you don't show prepared to that meeting, and if you are like you just brush off and you run with your own agenda, adding your culture is created in those one-on-one meetings. [00:21:04]
So love, grace, and truth. Out of our core values, we will always have love. We will give grace to each other, but we expect nothing less and nothing more than truth in every conversations we have. And if 10 years, 20 years from now, if that's what happens, that's a great picture of success. So I don't want to go through each one of these letters, but if you think about this idea, this framework is that you apply this to an organization, it'll be a healthy organization. You apply that to your family. [00:28:43]
This whole idea of ship requires somebody to really think about it, take a step back and lean into it. But it's not something that you can just dip your toes in it. You are either all in or you're all out. You don't walk into it and walk out of it. So either you're fully authentic. I cannot tell anybody to be 9:00 AM tomorrow morning. You need to be authentic. It just doesn't work right? You need to be start kind. It just doesn't work. So either you are or you're not, and you have to make that decision. [00:29:36]
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Nov 20, 2024. Do you have any questions about it?