What does “belonging” mean to me? 

These lessons directly inform how I lead. My firsthand experience at struggling to belong drives my commitment to creating a diverse culture and healthy team dynamics. As leaders, we must continually assess the environments we create and observe for our teams, both internally and externally through our client relationships.

We are responsible for fostering cultures that champion authentic team members and provide them the ability to excel. From my perspective, belonging as your true self is the highest level of culture creation for our employees, teams and ourselves.

This does not simply happen. And it’s rarely convenient. Championing belonging requires diverse teaming, constant learning and active listening. It thrives on the honest conversations and disagreements that come from respectful consideration of different perspectives. It requires being aware of how all our individual worlds impact how we show up for our clients and teammates. And it demands true empathy.

My job keeps me fanatically focused on what it means to belong as a client at BR — whether long-standing, new or even a prospect. I truly believe that diversity, inclusion and, ultimately, belonging is the secret sauce to the most inspired teams and, as a result, the kind of work that moves and changes markets. So, I’m committed to driving change and building an even stronger culture of belonging.

And one that, in turn, realizes unforgettable results.