OM DENNE EPISODE
What if a strength isn’t always a strength?
The qualities we bring to our work and relationships don’t operate in isolation. How we use them can change depending on whether we feel connected, capable, valued, and that we belong.
In this episode of Jagged Edge, Yogi Patel talks with Dr. Susan Belangee about Adlerian psychology, personality, belonging, and the purpose behind human behavior.
Dr. Belangee explores how tools such as BASIS-A can help us understand not simply what our traits are, but how we use them. She returns to a memorable playing-card metaphor: we may have certain cards in our hand, but we still make choices about when to play them, how to play them, and how long to hold onto them.
The conversation moves beyond assessment into an important leadership question: What happens to the way we use our strengths when we do—or don’t—feel that we belong?
Yogi and Susan explore curiosity as a leadership practice, why another person’s behavior can make complete sense to them even when it makes little sense to us, and how understanding the purposefulness of behavior can change workplace relationships.
The conversation ultimately brings us back to a question worth asking:
Am I helping to create spaces of belonging for others, or am I taking those spaces away?
In This Short Episode
* Why belonging influences how we use our strengths and traits
* The Adlerian idea of purposefulness of behavior
* Understanding ourselves beyond labels and personality scores
* What BASIS-A can reveal about how we approach life
* The playing-card metaphor for understanding our traits
* Why people’s behavior makes sense from their own perspective
* Curiosity as a leadership skill
* What we bring from our experiences and beliefs into workplace interactions
* Creating environments where people feel capable and able to contribute
* Why busy leaders can unintentionally lose sight of human connection
* Creating spaces of belonging at work, at home, and in our communities
A Question for Leaders
The next time someone’s behavior doesn’t make sense to you, rather than immediately correcting, judging, or solving, consider asking:
What might make this behavior make sense from their perspective?
Then turn the same curiosity toward yourself:
What am I bringing into this interaction, and how might my own sense of belonging be influencing the way I am using my strengths?
About the Guest
Dr. Susan Belangee brings an Adlerian perspective to understanding personality, behavior, relationships, and belonging. In this conversation, she shares how greater self-awareness can help people understand not only the traits they possess, but how those traits show up in their relationships, workplaces, and communities.
About Jagged Edge
Jagged Edge with Yogi Patel explores leadership beyond titles, tasks, and traditional management. Through conversations about belonging, behavior, culture, human connection, and the realities of leadership, Yogi invites listeners to consider how we can create workplaces where people feel respected, capable, connected, and able to contribute.
