“Pick me.”

“Tell me your secret.”

“Share your story.”

My childhood memories are filled with longings for inclusion.

Don’t leave me on the sidelines. Let me be in your circle.

Those longings intensified with those I loved or respected. If you were a kindred spirit, the longing to be a part of your world only deepened. If you were someone I respected, to be included made me feel esteemed.

One of our greatest human longings is the desire to belong.

As leaders, we have the opportunity to give others the gift of inclusion. When we invite them into our world to learn to grow or to simply be a part, we give them the gift of belonging. 

We esteem them as honored. We counteract the doubts and insecurities that plague them in the quiet. We give them hope. We affirm their significance.

It’s a simple gift to give and yet we so easily withhold.

I challenge you to confront whatever keeps you from giving the gift of inclusion. Is it busyness? Is it fear? Is it insecurity? Is it a scarcity mentality?

Whatever it is that holds you back, confront it and honor someone today with the gift of inclusion.

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