Episode
Belonging Isn't a Feeling. It's Performance Science. With organizational scientist Andrea D. Carter.
- Published
- May 29, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1929
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Summary
What if belonging isn't a soft, feel-good idea but the actual infrastructure that decides whether your team performs? In this episode of the Coachful Coaching Leadership Podcast, I chat with Andrea Carter, organizational scientist, founder of Belonging First, and adjunct professor at Adler University. Fresh off presenting at Google HQ in London for the launch of the Global Workplace Happiness Report, Andrea breaks down what her research across 150,000 employees reveals about why people stay, perform, and actually feel happy at work. A few things we get into: - The finding that people are least happy at work when they're with their boss, and what that says about how we train managers - Why organizations keep investing the most in what matters the least - The five measurable indicators of belonging: comfort, connection, contribution, psychological safety, and well-being - The difference between engagement (who's busy) and contribution (who's creating real impact) - Why employees experience work as a relationship while organizations treat it as a transaction Andrea also shares a free diagnostic, the Belonging Breakdown, so you can see where belonging is breaking down on your own team. Learn more about Andrea's work: https://belongingfirst.com Connect with Andrea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreadcarter/If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who leads a team. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and introductions 01:30 Andrea's detour to Google HQ in London 03:31 Happy workers perform measurably better 04:33 Why people are least happy with their boss 06:38 Why companies invest the most in what matters least 07:54 Belonging as performance science: the five indicators 10:00 Engagement vs contribution 12:00 Why psychological safety is…