How We Fuel the Fire

Tips from an expert on igniting passion and purpose

By Dan Winter

There was an urgency to the message of Devin Hughes, the keynote speaker at the 2025 Ohio Housing Conference.

It seems a little odd that his words compel you to act quickly now, because his message is deeply rooted in his past experience. 

Hughes, author of Contrast: A Biracial Man’s Journey to Desegreate His Past tells his alternately inspiring and sobering personal story. While his childhood is marred by poverty and addiction, his greatest persistent struggle lies in his status as a biracial kid growing upon the streets of Washington, D.C. He doesn’t “fit” anywhere. Fair skinned and green-eyed like his white mother, he “talks and acts Black” like his father. Between his racist maternal grandparents and his father’s drug-dealing Aunt, Hughes lives in a virtual No-Man’s Land. 

The phrase “belonging” pops up often today. People from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities often raise it as an issue when trying to acclimate to new business or organizational environment. Entering students often point to it as the attribute they most seek when enrolling in college or any post-secondary experience. 

But the desire for community, acceptance and the quest to find a sense of purpose within a community is not at all unique to young people or to any population. As Forbes contributor and the Chief Workforce Scientist at Achievers Workforce Institute Natalie Baumgartner wrote, belonging is an experience of “connection, security and community. It’s about feeling at home in one’s place, without reservation.” 

These universal aspirations are embedded in our very DNA and they were drivers central to our survival as a species from the earliest days of homo sapiens. 

Further, creating a space for belonging matters, not just in overall workplace happiness but in productivity and reduced turnover. Betterup, a professional coaching platform for employees, conducted surveys and found that when employees feel they belong, companies “enjoy 56% improved job performance, 50% lower turnover risk and 75% fewer employee sick days.” 

By sharing the story of how his outsider status derailed his life and achievements in school, on the basketball court, and in relationships, Hughes profoundly impacted my own thinking. His session ranks among one of the best leadership lessons I have experienced. 

It challenged me to reexamine many questions about truly connecting and communicating with people. Am I taking the time to understand and respect people’s different motivations and interpretations of the world around them? Am I helping shape a workplace where all feel respected and included?

I stumbled a bit over one of the exercises Hughes insisted we complete during our session. He partnered us with others. (I was blessed to be paired with Tina Bower from Moody Nolan). He told us to look this perfect stranger in the eye, square our shoulders and tell the person about a personal, deep, life-changing experience that we typically did not share. This is a lot harder than it sounds. Letting down the façade of appearing to be all-knowing and in control means showing openness and vulnerability. Yet, it helped illustrate that this type of honesty creates a culture where others feel safe to be real as well. 

Hughes also used a small group exercise to remind us that we’re more alike than we know. We were tasked to again work with strangers and collectively identify things we all had in common, such as travel destinations, certain television programs or eating particular junk foods. This turned out to be much easier than I expected. We had all visited Mexico, eaten pizza and watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade at least once. We share much more than we realize. 

Directing the operations of a property management company, especially one with deep strengths in affordable property management, requires our company to meld together a strong team of professionals with a wide range of skills, knowledge and experiences. Think of it. Maintenance alone means everything from electrical, foundational, plumbing, HVAC or just oversight of contractors. Financial calls for budgeting, cost estimating, collections and accounts receivables, never mind unraveling complex federal, state and local taxes and compliance requirements. And then there is resident services, not just leasing and responding to service and maintenance requests, but also connecting people to essentials like food, job training and family health care and specialized programming, such as rehabilitation or mental health services. 

Don’t forget we also have a slew of marketing, real estate, staffing, technology and logistics functions to perform and perfect as well. Even if outside vendors and contractors provide these services, we still need to ensure that they, too, feel they can fully and freely contribute to our shared success. 

Sawmill Road Management leaders and affordable housing experts Isabel Toth and Hal Keller know that our success depends upon great people. Hughes’ presentation reminded me that great people require more than incentives and rewards. Together, we should continuously redefine and refine our culture so that our talented folks thrive and excel in a dynamic, affirming culture.