Inclusion and Belonging
What if we didn’t need an Inclusion and Belonging Statement?
What if inclusion and belonging were so baked into our DNA as a work community that this statement, and all our efforts – including our committee, budget, surveys, and metrics – weren’t needed? How would we look and be? How much could we grow?
We envision a work community where team members are sought out for their differences and appreciated in their entirety. A learning organization where different perspectives are embraced, where team members know that when something bad happens in life, their work community genuinely cares. This vision fits with how we see ourselves now, and yet there is much work to be done.
Wealthspire Advisors believes that we have much work to do in our organization, our profession, and our communities to advance Inclusion and Belonging.
Though Wealthspire had been demonstrating the value of inclusion and purposefully developing our corporate culture, we acknowledge that we had not sufficiently elevated the importance or the urgency of Inclusion and Belonging work in its entirety. We have committed to consciously investing our focus and talent, as well as time and money, to prioritize this journey of awareness and change. We have realized that Inclusion and Belonging is not only a moral responsibility, but a business imperative as well. We are grateful to learn from the work done by others and are open to sharing our own experiences as we continue down this path.
Wealthspire Advisors remains a work in progress, and we are on a path toward creating a more inclusive culture, from our leadership to processes throughout our organization.
We will continue to increase our investment and leadership in this space and to embrace transformative work in our organization at all levels. We will initiate and welcome efforts to expose organizational deficiencies and challenges that previously went unattended.
Belonging is central to the way we think about Inclusion, and it is foundational to our broader cultural beliefs.
Belonging is a hard-wired need of our humanity; it isn't a program, policy, or a goal. While metrics are crucial in measuring gaps and progress, and insightful for course correction, Belonging is measured in the heart. It's the sense of being truly valued in a community as your unique and total self, and of having friends at work. Belonging is woven into all types of everyday experiences and is fundamental to sustainable change and growth on our journey.
Our History
While our current efforts build on previous foundations, we had not sufficiently elevated the importance or the urgency of this work, and it had not permeated all areas of our organization. Even our concept of Inclusion and Belonging itself has evolved with a greater appreciation of all the elements that make individuals unique from one another.
In January of 2020, following the May 2019 merger of Sontag Advisory and Bronfman Rothschild that created Wealthspire, our leadership and staff, encompassing two thirds of our total firm, met together over four days to purposefully construct our desired culture. An emphasis on honoring people, transparency, collaboration, uniqueness, ownership, and flexibility created a powerful guide for moving our firm forward across many fronts.
Then in July of 2020, our Inclusion and Belonging Committee was formed with an initial Charter and voluntary membership that spanned across our offices and included a wide range of paygrades, job functions, ages, and backgrounds. Initial sub-committees were formed with the full committee providing guidance, questioning, feedback, and support. Over the course of the next year, as concepts, ideas, and actions were explored, we committed a dedicated budget and fleshed out our Charter to reflect a governance philosophy that empowered decision-making at the sub-committee level.
In August of 2021, Wealthspire announced five strategic priorities to carry us into 2025. Two of the five are directly related to our work in Inclusion and Belonging – The Wealthspire Experience, and Broaden Our Impact.
Serving Others to Make Lives Better
Wealthspire Advisors strongly believes that advancing Inclusion and Belonging is critical to the success and growth of our organization, our profession and communities, and the clients we serve. This ongoing work is key to living out each of our cultural beliefs.
We ask to be held accountable on our journey. We expect to learn as we go, from our own experiences as well as from others and welcome feedback as an important aspect of learning. We commit to taking thoughtful and meaningful action on all forms of inclusion and belonging work. Please watch for updates to this statement as we transform. See how much we grow.
Our Cultural Beliefs
Inspire – I value our people and invest in our team.
Go Big – I fearlessly embrace opportunities to grow, serve more, and change lives.
Open Up! – I demonstrate transparency, listen with an open mind, and share honestly.
Succeed Together – I purposefully collaborate
without boundaries to deliver our best.
Pursue Balance – I create a flexible environment
where scale and efficiency complement uniqueness.
Own It – I own the path. I own the result.