I see claims of belonging everywhere…business marquees, gym membership ads, job postings, you name it. Every campaign promises me that if I join, I’ll find my place of belonging. Everyone wants to find their tribe, and every leader thinks, genuinely believes, that it’s with them. But how can I tell if they’re telling the truth, and when the experience doesn’t measure up to the promises…what happens then?

How do we fix belonging when it’s broken?

I need to get something off my chest.

If I hear one more person confidently explain psychological safety and get it completely wrong, I might scream into a pillow. Professionally, of course.

Nobody wakes up and says, "You know what I'm going to do today? Build a fear-based organization." That's not how it works. A controlling workplace culture doesn't start with a villain. It starts with a leader who cares A LOT, works really hard, and slowly… quietly… stops noticing what their grip is costing the people around them.