The Belonging Brief, Vol. 5
“Keep your language. Love its sounds, its modulation, its rhythm. But try to march together with [people] of different languages, remote from your own, who wish like you for a more just and human world.”
~ Hélder Câmara
To our partners in belonging,
Welcome back to The Belonging Brief, where we’re exploring the fifth AmazeWorks Condition for Belonging: Respect.
If you grew up in the United States, the word respect probably rings a few bells. Maybe you saw it on brightly colored posters in your elementary school hallway. Maybe you learned to spell it by listening to Aretha Franklin’s anthem. Maybe you felt it kick in subconsciously when speaking to an adult or person with authority.

Respect is everywhere in our cultural vocabulary. But despite how familiar the word feels, it doesn’t always mean the same thing to everyone.
Sesame Street defines respect as treating someone in a way that makes them feel cared for and important. But how do we determine what behaviors accomplish that feeling? How we interpret and express care and respect is shaped by our cultures.
In this issue, we’re diving beneath the surface to examine the full cultural iceberg. Scroll to explore how our understandings of respect are formed and how they show up in our organizations.
In this newsletter, you’ll find:
- A cultural breakdown of respect
- A reflection tool for comparing personal and professional norms
- A case study reframing respect through pay equity
- A bonus handout to help teams navigate communication preferences
Level Setting
Respect is Culturally-Based

Respect isn’t one-size-fits-all. Our understanding of what it means to be respectful is shaped by the cultures we grew up in: our shared behaviors, values, communication styles, and social norms.
We each have very deep-seated assumptions about how others shouldshow us respect. When we take time to unpack our cultural understandings and acknowledge that others’ experiences are equally valid, we can begin to co-create norms of respect that work for everyone.
Take a look at the above cultural iceberg above. The farther below the water’s surface we go, the more “normal” or unquestioned our cultural preferences tend to feel. Here are a few examples of how our unconscious cultural rules can feel surprising or jarring when we encounter something different:
- Concept of self: In individualistic cultures like the US, pursuing personal or professional ambition is often encouraged and admired. In collectivist cultures, prioritizing individual goals over group or family obligations may be seen as selfish or even disloyal.
- Definition of obscenity: What words strike you as inappropriate? What foods feel so off-limits that you struggle to even picture them on a plate? Cultural norms around language and food vary widely. Everyday words used in the US may mean something completely different—and sometimes even derogatory—in the UK (e.g., pants, knob). Similarly, what’s considered an acceptable food source depends on cultural beliefs. In some cultures, cows are a staple food. In others, they’re sacred, and eating them could be viewed as disrespectful or obscene.
When we recognize these differences, we can begin to see how our assumptions about respect are not universal. They’re cultural! And when we move beyond a dominant lens, we make space for cultures of belonging where people are fully seen, heard, and valued for who they are.
Tool for Belonging
Personal and Professional Respect

Respect can feel abstract, especially across cultural lines. This activity helps us think tangibly about the ways that respect manifests itself in personal and professional spaces. You’ll explore what respect looks, sounds, and feels like to you.
For example:
- For one person, respect may look like eye contact to signal attention and value.
- For another, eye contact may feel intrusive or aggressive.
- For someone else, maintaining eye contact may be a distracting performance that pulls focus from the content.
After completing the activity, consider how you can establish organizational norms around respect that are culturally competent and responsive.
Case Study
Rethinking Respect Through Pay Transparency

In 2024, Minnesota passed a law requiring salary ranges on job postings as part of a broader effort to promote equity and close the gender pay gap.
This law directly challenges a deeply held cultural norm in the US: that talking about money is disrespectful. If you revisit the cultural iceberg, you’ll notice that “relationship with money” appears at the very bottom, indicating how emotionally loaded and deeply ingrained this belief is. In dominant US culture, wages and salaries are considered private matters. But cultural taboos like these can also reinforce inequality.
So how did we get to a place where legislation is pushing back against ingrained cultural norms?
Community and organizational efforts to fight pay inequities, like gender and racial pay gaps, have shown that it’s possible to destabilize dominant expectations. For people who have been systematically underpaid, silence around pay can feel more disrespectful than transparency.
This shift in legislation invites us to rethink what respect means in practice, especially when dominant norms stand in the way of equity.
Sometimes, honesty feels more respectful than tradition.
In Case You Missed It
Culture Transformation & You

Yesterday, AmazeWorks hosted the third webinar from our Bringing Belonging to Work series: Culture Transformation & You.
This webinar explored:
- Various change models
- Organizational readiness for change
- Organizational strengths and challenges around key areas of change
Didn’t make it? Email andrew@amazeworks.org for the recording!
Mark your calendar for the final webinar in the series: Being Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable on Wednesday, September 10 from 12-1PM CT.
Announcement
Spotlight: Worldbuilding through Strategic Communication & Values-Based Narratives
We’re partnering with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits to help nonprofits share their stories, shining the best possible spotlight on their invaluable work. 🔦
This full-day, virtual training will take place on August 7 from 8:45AM –3:30PM, offering sessions designed for nonprofit communications, advocacy, and fundraising leaders, executive leadership, and board members serving on fundraising and policy committees.
Join Rebecca Slaby from 9-10AM for Belonging as Core to Communicating Your Nonprofit’s Story. In this session, we will:
- Make the case for belonging at work, exploring our organizational and personal WHYs
- Explore a framework for creating the Conditions for Belonging
- Identify action steps to operationalize belonging in your own workplace
Click here to register and amplify your organization’s story!
Bonus Content
Communication Styles Handout

One of the clearest ways we show and interpret respect is through communication.
This handout helps individuals name their preferences on feedback style, privacy boundaries, preferred communication methods and more. Use it to make your workplace norms more transparent and inclusive.
We’ve used this tool with our own team at AmazeWorks. Now, we have a shared document where each person’s communication preferences are accessible to everyone. Whether we’re celebrating a colleague’s success, offering constructive feedback, or collaborating on a project, we can approach each interaction with intention and respect.