Creating A Culture Of Belonging - Belongify

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Grant Assenheimer, CEO of Belongify, located in Edmonton, AB, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Belongify is a workplace culture startup, and we've developed an efficient and powerful system that equips leaders to improve team performance by creating a culture of Belonging.

We believe belonging is at the very core of thriving, high-performing work cultures. People fully contribute when they feel and act as if they belong. Teams excel when leaders are invested in everyone feeling more connected. When they feel safe enough to show up as themselves and contribute their very best. Results become better, even extraordinary.

Delivered in 5 unique 1-hour online sessions facilitated by a Certified Belongify Coach, we help teams experience the power and impact a culture of belonging can bring.

Tell us about yourself

I grew up on a farm in northern Alberta, applied a degree in chemical engineering to the water treatment sector, worked internationally as a humanitarian worker with Doctors Without Borders, and landed as an executive leader, first at Doctors Without Borders Canada and now as the CEO of Belongify. I'm a systems thinker and problem-solver, and my drive to find solutions is backed by a deep value of different perspectives and the patience to discover root causes, leading to sustainable, systems-level outcomes.

Why Belongify and workplace culture? As a leader, when you create the conditions of belonging in your team, together, you will go further, be more effective and surpass everyone's expectations. Things will click. You'll feel supported. Everything will be more fun. Others will want in. You'll get better results. I've led teams where this worked and also where it didn't. It isn't easy, but it's worth it, and the Belongify system actually provides a mechanism to consistently get you and your team there. That's why I'm involved. It is the most inclusive and effective leadership model I've encountered, and I truly look forward to helping leaders and their teams apply the Belongify system to unleash their full potential.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Stepping into the unknown is a big step… And that first step is one of the biggest! I often think of the meme where there is a big bubble that represents your comfort zone and a much smaller one off in the corner that says "where the magic happens." These two bubbles don't overlap at all, and it takes courage, trust, and commitment to bring your whole self to the spot where the magic happens. Even more so when it isn't clear where, exactly, that magic bubble is or, once you find it, for how long it's going to be there. For me, taking that first step has been my biggest accomplishment so far, anyway.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

We know that there is a difference between understanding the importance of building a culture of belonging and investing in it. Teams are rightly focused on achieving the results and actions they've committed to, and we get it; who has the time or extra budget to interrupt the daily grind for intentional culture building? We would argue that a sense of belonging ultimately achieves better results, higher productivity, top talent acquisition as well as lower turnover, and we're simply excited for the challenge of letting organizations make that discovery with us!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

1. Be intentional about and live your purpose and values on a daily basis. Connect before content.
2. Never stop learning, and always contribute your services to others. It all comes back to the people as the source for, well, everything! You can't do it alone, and you can't fake it. How you treat your team, your suppliers, your shareholders, and your customers truly matter.
3. Think Big, Start Small, and Act Now.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://belongify.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/belongify/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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