Are You Creating a Sense of Belonging for Others?

Growing up I attended the same school through eighth grade and then I moved to a different school for high school (well, almost all of high school, but that’s a totally different story due to Hurricane Katrina). I always felt bad for the new kids who started at my school and tried to welcome them as best as I could. I can remember always thinking to myself how hard it must be to come into a new environment where people have known each other for years, where relationships have already been established and how intimidating it can be to be judged just simply for being new.

Flash forward to a little over a year ago when I made the decision to come to HORNE. I realized that even though I’m an adult now, we still have a need for that same sense of belonging we did as kids. Instead of being the new kid on the playground, I was now the new team member in the office. Let’s face it, in some cases you might see your coworkers more than you see your actual family, so feeling like you belong is crucial.

Before I came to HORNE, I was extremely nervous about coming in as an experienced hire. I had so many questions that ran through my head—Will I belong here? Am I going to regret the decision to leave my previous firm? Is this a place where I can grow and succeed? At first, this all seemed so silly to me. Shouldn’t I only be worried about the things that would affect my career growth? Sure, that was something I thought about, but having a sense of belonging was more important to me. All of the team members I talked to said that HORNE would be a great fit for me, but I needed to experience it for myself to be certain.

On my first day at HORNE, I got a delightful surprise. Every year, HORNE hosts a leadership summit and this year they were showcasing HORNE’s Got Talent (inspired by America’s Got Talent) at their kick-off event in the House of Blues in New Orleans. Little did I know that a group of team members in my office were pulling a team together and they asked me if I wanted to be part of their team. From that day on, I knew HORNE would be a special place. We practiced hard and even went on to win first place! This is just one example of how welcoming the team members are and how comfortable they made me feel. It was also a great sign that HORNE cared about its team members enough to let them have a little fun while at work. (That seems to be a trend around this place.)

Since that first day, I have learned that a sense of belonging is one of the building blocks of the Wise Firm—what we call our culture at HORNE. Joining a team for HORNE’s Got Talent is just one of the many examples I could give about how others have helped me gain a sense of belonging here at HORNE, but I have learned that just like in school, for one to feel like they have a sense of belonging, it is up to others to be intentional in creating it. Are you helping to create a sense of belonging for others?

About the Author

Alison McLendon is an assurance supervisor who specializes in serving public and middle market clients. She is only one of the passionate team members working to strengthen the Sense of Belonging building block in our Wise Firm.