You Belong

You belong here. We want you to internalize this truth and to feel it. Belonging means that you feel comfortable taking up space, that you feel seen, and that you feel your contributions are valued.

Belonging is foundational. As humans, we need to belong. To achieve your potential you need to feel like you belong. If you are trying to fit in or modulate your character in an effort to be someone else, you are wasting valuable energy and creating undue hardship for yourself. That’s why it is important that you show up as yourself and feel confident that you will be accepted as yourself.

You are part of DataSQRL for a reason. We want you to be here. And we want you to show up as yourself, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. You are an important part of DataSQRL. We need you and we accept you. As you read these words, listen to your body. Do you feel resistance or disbelief? If so, take a deep breath and read it again. We mean it and are very serious about this.

This might sound a bit touchy-feely. Maybe it makes you uncomfortable. That’s ok. Here’s the thing: we are on an important mission with a big vision and simply don’t have time to play games with each other. At least not the kind of games where we pretend to be somebody else, hide our vulnerabilities, hedge our relationships, or mask our personalities.

If you ever feel like you don’t belong, stop what you are doing and find out why. This is an emergency. If the feeling doesn’t go away or you have identified a reason, you need to escalate and seek help. This is your responsibility and we ask you to take it seriously. We do. If you let feelings of not-belonging linger, they will grow into resignation. They will eat at your soul. We don’t want this to happen and early intervention is critical to stopping it.

Periodic episodes of not-belonging are common. You feel excluded from a meeting that you should have been a part of. Somebody makes a comment that makes you feel dismissed. Those things are bound to happen. It is important that you recognize how you feel in those moments and address those feelings. Reach out if you need help or seek clarification. Sometimes, feelings of not-belonging are more pervasive. For instance, you may feel like you aren’t adding value. Those are very serious and in most cases you should bring this up to a person you trust. In either case, it is important that you take this seriously and make it your responsibility. Feeling resigned or cynical about your work are urgent warning signs that you feel like you don’t belong. It is not acceptable to let those feelings foster. You need to do something about it.

Belonging is one of our core values and we are going to discuss how we create a culture of belonging in a future chapter. For now, we want you to know that you belong here and that it is your responsibility to act with urgency if you ever feel otherwise.