Belongingness is the human emotional need to be an accepted member of a group, highlighted by a relationship that is greater than simple acquaintance or familiarity. It points to our need to be truly known and understood. As a primary driver of human nature, it often guides our thoughts and actions.

After three decades of running a family dental practice, Dr. Greg Gilbaugh was ready to plan his transition out of clinical dentistry so he could focus on developing his team and build a sustainable future for the practice. But as he compiled his 10-year plan, he realized that he didn’t have many examples to follow in dentistry. Greg knew he didn’t want to sell his practice and take a leisurely retirement like his peers were doing, but he wasn’t sure how to pave a different way forward.

In 2015, Coastal’s CEO, Buzz Wheeler, faced several new business challenges. As a founder, Wheeler had grown his company over fifty years from a single store to a major player in the Northwest. The company had recently completed an acquisition, increasing sales volume by 40 percent, and adding several new stores and dozens of employees in just a few weeks. Wheeler was concerned that the company’s big changes would impact its unique culture.

Chick-fil-A franchisee Nathan Buchanan had already been running a successful restaurant for five years when he decided to buy a larger franchise. But the higher volume franchise and larger team turned out to be more work than he’d bargained for, and soon he was floundering. He realized that if he wanted to run the business well, he needed to grow his ability to lead his team and manage the competing priorities in his work and life.