You may have heard the phrase, or you may have said it yourself, we have to see it to be it. The phrase underscores the importance of possibility models, a concept I wrote about in my first book, Belonging at Work. To be a possibility model means that you are providing an example of future scenarios for a person who holds a shared core identity central to who you are.

Simply by living your life, you provide inspiration for people within communities you belong to by offering a new way for them to visualize alternative futures for what could also be possible for them. Your existence, and the path you forge, provides the motivation for others to climb up the ladder of opportunity you have graciously dropped down to support their journey.

For underrepresented people in the workplace, including LGBTQ+ employees, the simple act of being seen can engender powerful feelings, especially if these groups feel neglected, overlooked, and underestimated. Recognition is a necessary precondition to feeling a sense of belonging at work, and when a group of people are valued for the lived experiences they bring into the workplace, they are more productive, innovative, and engaged.

Given that belonging is the prerequisite for business success, I am fortunate to talk with Sarah Tinkler, to explore one of the core ingredients to building belonging at work. The interview examines this key question: How does being an openly LGBTQ+ advisor at NM shape her own interactions with fellow LGBTQ+ clients?

For those unfamiliar with Sarah, she is a financial planning entrepreneur associated with Northwestern Mutual since July 2006. She is also a Forrest-inspired yoga instructor, certified life coach, and certified personal trainer. Sarah blends those passions together with a refreshingly soul-nourishing approach to visioning, analysis, planning, and guiding her clients' assets so they can live abundantly, authentically, and be ready to jump at the next aligned opportunity the Universe throws their way.

Together, during our conversation, you will:

• Learn why one of the preconditions for feeling a sense of belonging starts with being recognized, respected, and valued.
  
  

• Gain strategies on how you can be a possibility model for communities you belong to that can help your organization more fully represent the communities it serves.

• Recognize the value add LGBTQ+ employees bring into your own organization..

This interview was designed to support people like you - visionary leaders, and those on their way to joining us. Savor this insightful talk, and if you’re looking for more ways to connect with inspiring leaders like Sarah, be sure to join our Belonging Membership Community - a community of practice committed to putting our values of belonging, community, and collaboration into action. Members have the unique opportunity to connect with guests like Sarah for 1:1 laser coaching sessions.

For LGBTQ+ friendly financial planning services, get in touch with Sarah Tinkler at: https://www.northwesternmutual.com/financial/advisor/sarah-a-tinkler/

You can also find her on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahtinkler.

Imagine belonging with our community when you join the Belonging Movement Newsletter: www.rhodesperry.com/subscribe.

Why build spaces of belonging at work? After all, your company is likely investing in technology products to reduce overhead and increase returns. It’s investing in new products and services to increase market share. It’s also likely investing in advertising to increase brand awareness and positioning. In short, you invest in building belonging at work, because the people working at your company are at the end of the day, your greatest asset.

Tragically, most of the people working in U.S.-based companies (64%) experience “non-belonging,” and suffer from what the current U.S. Surgeon General labels an “Epidemic of Loneliness.” Left unchecked, this form of exclusion comes at an annual price tag of $1.05 trillion dollars due to lost productivity, high turnover, and employee disengagement. This is a problem that is especially vexing for LGBTQ+ employees, and a spirited commitment to building belonging at work can help solve.

So what will it take to build this kind of culture and prioritize the people in your business & innovation strategy? It starts with creating a shared foundation of psychological safety and trust, particularly for those within your organization most likely to experience the sting of social exclusion. These foundational prerequisites for building belonging are necessary to ensure that more of our workforce experiences the coveted emotional outcome of belonging.

It’s for this reason I sat down with Natalie Le. Natalie knows what it takes to benefit from a workplace prioritizing building spaces of belonging at work for their LGBTQ+ employees. Natalie currently serves as the Growth & Development Director at Northwestern Mutual in San Jose. As a dedicated leader, Natalie is a strong advocate for multicultural and LGBTQ+ communities within the corporate sphere.

Recently, Natalie was a featured speaker at the 2024 Multicultural Affinity Summit, where she participated in the "Playing Bigger & Multiplying Impact" Leadership Panel. Alongside two other successful LGBTQ+ leaders, she shared her personal experiences and challenges, inspiring attendees to amplify their local impact and gain effective tools and language for advocacy. Natalie's commitment to inclusion and development continues to uplift and empower those around her.

This interview was designed to support people like you - visionary leaders, and those on their way to joining us. Savor this insightful talk, and if you’re looking for more ways to connect with inspiring leaders like Natalie, be sure to join our Belonging Membership Community - a community of practice committed to putting our values of belonging, community, and collaboration into action. Members have the unique opportunity to connect with guests like Natalie for 1:1 laser coaching sessions.

Imagine belonging with fellow visionary leaders when you join the Belonging Movement Newsletter: www.rhodesperry.com/subscribe.

For LGBTQ+ friendly financial planning services, get in touch with Natalie at: https://www.northwesternmutual.com/financial/advisor/natalie-le/

Allies. In workplace settings, there are times when most of us need them. Consider this scenario; you’re in a meeting, and you’re about to take a calculated risk to share an unpopular idea. As soon as you complete your thought, one of your colleagues quickly responds, complimenting you on your idea, and asking you to share more. That’s an act of allyship.

Conversely, in that very same meeting, you can take an act of allyship by showing up for a different colleague when another person says something unskillful to them. Without a beat, you can simply say, “You just said [insert statement]. Could you explain more specifically what you meant?” That simple response should do the trick to shine a light on the harm they caused.

When it comes to showing up for your LGBTQ+ colleagues, acts of allyship in workplace settings are life-saving. They help build the foundation of increased safety and trust that can get more of LGBTQ+ employees closer to experiencing that elusive sense of belonging at work. Yet, for some of the budding LGBTQ+ allies out there, being an authentic ally causes some pause. Some may ask themselves, “what if I cause even more harm,” and instead retreat into silence.

To help build up the confidence and skills of these emerging LGBTQ+ workplace allies, I have the pleasure of connecting with Sara Samuels (she/her) and Kenneth Wilson (they/he). If you’re unfamiliar with Sara, she leads a fee-for-advice and wealth management planning practice, serving clients in 42 states and 8 countries as a means to be an advocate for financial empowerment for all. Building belonging cultures through helping people have ownership over their relationship to money will be my greatest legacy.

Sara works closely with Kenneth K Wilson who is an associate advisor, drag performer, and artist in Philadelphia, PA. For the past five years, they’ve spent their financial career building up clients from diverse backgrounds, helping them unlearn negative financial habits and biases, set up financial stability, and achieve financial and lifestyle goals through solid planning. In that time, Kenneth’s carved out a niche working with creatives like musicians and drag performers, business owners, and LGBTQ+ couples and families.

Together, during our conversation, you will:

• Learn why performative acts of allyship, or merely calling yourself an ally, without taking any action is the fastest way to erode the trust of your LGBTQ+ colleagues.
  
  

• Gain fresh insights on accessible actions you can take to show up as an LGBTQ+ ally - some of these are more easy and significant than you think.

• Explore new allyship practices you can test out with close friends and family members to to build up the confidence necessary to overcome the comfort of silence.

This interview was designed to support people like you - visionary leaders, and those on their way to joining us. Savor this insightful talk, and if you’re looking for more ways to connect with inspiring leaders like Sara & Kenneth, be sure to join our Belonging Membership Community - a community of practice committed to putting our values of belonging, community, and collaboration into action. Members have the unique opportunity to connect with guests like Sara & Kenneth for 1:1 laser coaching sessions.

Imagine belonging with fellow visionary leaders when you join the Belonging Movement Newsletter: www.rhodesperry.com/subscribe.

For LGBTQ+ friendly financial planning services, get in touch with Sara Samuels at www.sara-samuels.com, or email Kenneth Wilson at kenneth.k.wilson@nm.com.