How the heck does leaving someone out equal belonging?!

You’ve doubtless heard of – and hopefully practise! – DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). But have you heard of DEIB?

You’ve doubtless heard of – and hopefully practise! – DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). But have you heard of DEIB?

I learned the term yesterday on a call with coaching experts Angie Alexander and Izzy Gesell.

What does the ‘B’ stand for? Belonging.

Most coaches encourage everyone in the coaching space to ‘join in’. It’s pretty standard. Gotta join in, people! Cameras on. It’s your turn. It’s all part of the learning, right?

Izzy made the beautiful point that, these days, as an advocate for the ‘Belonging’ part in DEIB, he believes: “We include people by giving them the right not to participate”.

Sounds fair. Some folks are extrovert, some are introvert, some take a little time to warm up. We have a raft of good reasons, from social anxiety to lack of confidence, why that might be the case.

So - next time you feel like you don’t want to join in, maybe you don’t have to. Try being confident enough to say ‘No’ to what you’re not confident enough to say ‘Yes’ to.