Continue Reading "Diversity – a double edged sword"]]> December 2011 News flash - the world is becoming increasingly diverse.

We have been talking about embracing diversity for years.   And yet, I still hear people say they are tired of talking about it and sighing as they long for the day when it will “no longer be an issue”. Reminds me of the Rodney King quote “can’t we just all get along?” Well, apparently not. All you have to do is watch or read the news and you will quickly be disavowed of the impression that we are sensitive to each other’s gender, culture, race, sexual orientation or religious differences. And by “we” I don’t just mean Americans, I mean “we” the people of the planet. So, let’s not seduce ourselves into believing that because we “embrace differences” that we are diversity sensitive and free of bias

People tell me often that diversity is “not just a Black/White issue”;  and that diversity is also about diversity of thought and decision making and inter-personal differences.    I am not always sure what they really mean, but what I hear in the sub-text of that is that it is just too difficult for us to deal with thorny issues and it would be better if we broadened the topic.    So, what is it to be as we close the doors on 2011 and hit the ignition key for 2012 - Embrace Diversity or Wish it would go away?

As we wrap up 2011 I am in a reflective mood and thought I would take a minute to contemplate that double-edged sword.  On the one hand our diversity is what makes us exciting, beautiful, complex, wondrous and never boring.  Our differences weave a rich tapestry within our families, with our friends, within our communities and countries and without question, across the entire spectrum of our planet.  As we sit across the dinner table this holiday season, breaking bread with family and friends, I venture to suggest that there will be at least one “eye rolling moment” at every table, where people laugh and say to themselves “Hah hah, he/she may be a character, but           (s)he’s our character”.  We forgive people we love for their idiosyncracies, and in fact we often find them endearing. (Well sometimes we do).  On the other hand, we are not so patient with people who are different from us but are not included in our inner circle.  They become fodder for complaint, contempt and condescension.

And therein lies the double-edged sword of diversity. You are cool if you are in my inner circle and not so cool if you are not.  So maybe the issue with diversity is not about our differences at all. It is really about our ability to include people.  How do we become more inclusive?  Well, in order to get there we first have to own the fact that we are really quite exclusionary.  Come on, be honest; if you really think about it and take stock how many people and groups do you exclude from your warm and fuzzy list?  Yes, that’s right, probably as many as I do.  No one gets to be a phenomenological exception.  We are all territorial and I have a news flash to add to the news flash – we are not going to stop being territorial any time soon.   So how about a New Year’s resolution – to widen your circle of inclusion.  Maybe if we all did that 6 degrees of separation could become a reality.   Happy New Year to you and yours and to all the people you don’t yet include.

Continue Reading "The New Leading Edge"]]> Unconscious bias is the new leading edge on the Diversity and Inclusion journey. Despite all of the strategic sessions and training dollars spent on this topic, not to mention the discrimination cases, there is still a glass ceiling and discrimination continues to exist. Human Facets latest assessment, Cognizant, explores unconscious bias at both an individual and group level. You can download the PDF files on the Human Facets home page for more information.

There is a price to be paid for ignoring the impact of unconscious bias as the companies listed below can attest.

“Unconscious bias is increasingly being used in employment litigation to prove discrimination. Unconscious bias has been a central issue in Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the largest class action discrimination lawsuit in history in which two million women are suing Wal-Mart for gender discrimination. The Court’s receptivity to unconscious bias arguments in the Home Depot class action and the FedEx class action resulted in those cases settling for huge amounts, $87.5 million and $53.5 million respectively. Unconscious bias is being raised in class actions against several other Fortune 500 companies such as Best Buy, Johnson & Johnson, Cargill, Merrill Lynch, General Electric, American Express, MetLife, and Morgan Stanley.

There is considerable debate about whether and to what extent unconscious bias affects employment decisions. To date, employers appear to handling the issue by claiming that unconscious bias does not exist. Perhaps, employers should learn from Wal-Mart, Home Depot, FedEx, and Walgreens (i.e., companies who failed in their arguments that unconscious bias does not exist) and instead, audit their processes to ensure that unconscious bias is not at work in their companies.” Ballard, www.articleco.com

Let Human Facets help you to unravel the complexities of unconscious bias and provide your leadership team and key players with the leverage of increased consciousness on this topic.

Continue Reading "Make it a perfect 10"]]> Someone said that to me recently. “Make it a perfect 10″. At first I was taken aback. What were they telling me. Was it a reference to Bo Derek? Did I need to improve my golf handicap or had I already achieved 9 of something and was, unknown to me, missing the elusive tenth.

I quickly regrouped, realizing she was wishing me a Happy New Year and wanting me to have a perfect 2010. What a nice thought. What would a perfect 2010 look like I wondered. Apart from the usual good health, weight loss, happiness and prosperity was there something else? I have a long list of items I could fit into each of these categories and my goal this year is to plan the work and work the plan. Focus, focus, focus. But that also got me to thinking about the bigger issues; the ones I have less control over and can only hope to influence by the butterfly effect and six degrees of separation. If I could wave a magic wand and create the perfect 2010, it would be a world without hatred, corruption and violence; a world where people rebuild a sense of community, where neighbors care and strangers are not strangers for long; where respect is reborn and love shines across the globe. A world where glass ceilings are shattered, glass walls are removed and bias and prejudice are things of the past. A world where technology is used only to enhance our quality of life and where ethics and integrity are as important as breathing.

Now, where was I? Oh yes, it is January 2nd; reality calls and it is time to get back to working on all the things that need attention – just like my golf handicap, nothing ever improves unless I work on it.

If you can’t have a perfect 10, then at least don’t contribute to making it imperfect for yourself or others around you.
Happy New Year

Continue Reading "Happy holidays – or not?"]]> The holiday season is upon us and many of us are getting ready to wish each other a “Happy Holiday”. In recent years we have learned that this is the politically correct way to wish each other seasons greetings. It is designed to ensure that we offend no one. In a season where we will be offered lots of tasty morsels to whet our appetite and please our palate, I would like to offer another perspective for your consideration. Political correctness is not the answer or the end point; it is a step on the journey. Using politically correct statements may be a step in the right direction, but it can also leave people feeling inauthentic, empty and incomplete. It is a bandaid solution; it solves very little and merely mirrors the problem of treating the symptom rather than the cause.

If you believe in the concept of embedding inclusion and creating a diversity sensitive work place, then logically you would agree that you need to honor all differences. That means not invalidating one culture in favor of others; it means ensuring that all of our differences can be fully present in a respectful and caring manner. If we are really striving for inclusion and respect for each others differences, then the Christmas tree should be able to peacefully coexist right along side the Menorah and the Kwanzaa candles. When Chinese New Year, Ramadam, Diwali or any other religious or cultural celebration comes along, we should do the work that it takes to educate ourselves and be suitably knowledgeable and appropriate in our greetings and respect.

Yes, it takes work; it means we need to cut each other some slack; we have to educate ourselves not only about other people, but about other people’s beliefs, religions and cultures. We need to know what the difference is between Rosh Hoshanah, Yom Kippur and Hannukah; we need to know what is involved in Ramadan and why it does not fall on the same date every year; we need to learn why 2010 will be the Year of the Tiger and what is involved in the Festival of Lights for Diwali. If we became comfortable with all of these differences, it would be a natural and easy next step to be respectful and greet each other with the religiously or culturally appropriate greeting and not act as if there were no differences. Happy holidays is a symbolic first step towards blandness; it is not representative of the salad bowl, the fruit salad, the vase of flowers, or whatever metaphor you care to use to espouse support for the celebration of our differences.

Food for thought (or indigestion) and another example of how much we still have to talk about on this complex journey towards Diversity and Inclusion. I wish you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010. Oh, that’s right; we did not discuss New Year traditions, but being from Scotland I have lots of canny stories to tell. Most of them involve whisky, coal and salt, and celebrating from midnight on December 31st till January 25th (Rabbie Burns night). Like I said, so much to learn. Happy Hogmanay. Lang may yer lum reek.

Continue Reading "Susan Boyle"]]> What does Susan Boyle, a middle aged white woman from Scotland, who has catapulted from obscurity to fame overnight, have to do with diversity and inclusion? Seven weeks ago the judges and the audience on Britain’s Got Talent all rolled their eyes and laughed as she stood on stage. No one believed she had talent. They stopped laughing when she started to sing. They rose to their feet in wild applause as her dulcet tones raised the roof of the theater. The judges eyes were wide with delight and amazement and they told her that they had misjudged her. 150 million You Tube clicks later she is a household name around the world. We all know the old adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, but how often do we judge others based on what we see, without taking the time to know who they are? How often do we make assumptions about someone based on their appearance, skin color or group membership, without exploring our own biases and closed mindedness. What you think you see is only part of the story. Read more on the article below “Washing your windows?”………

Continue Reading "Washing your windows"]]> Someone recently sent me an email with a morality story….you know, the ones that you have to forward to seven people within seven minutes. I usually don’t pass them on, but I liked the message in this one so I thought I would share it with you. A recently married young couple move in to a new neighborhood and the wife notices the neighbor’s laundry hanging outside in the breeze. She comments to her husband that someone needs to teach her neighbor how to wash clothes as her laundry is not clean enough. Her husband says nothing. Each week the wife complains about the neighbors laundry until one day she comes down to breakfast and notices a change. She tells her husband that “finally, someone must have taught her how to clean her clothes properly”. Her husband looks up from his newspaper and says “I came down early this morning and washed the windows”. When did you last wash your windows? What we think we are seeing is merely a socially constructed story that we convince ourselves is correct. Valuing differences is a living, breathing ongoing challenge, not a conceptual theory. We need to constantly check our attitude towards others. What is your inner voice telling you and is it congruent with what is coming out of your mouth? Do you say one thing and think another. Are you judging people based on their appearance? Do you favor people who look and think like you and not give others a chance. Who is on your radar screen and who is on your peripheral vision? What stories do you tell yourself about those on the periphery? If you washed your windows and looked again, would the view be different?

Continue Reading "Millenial matters…"]]> Much has been written about the Millenials and their strong desire to be independent. It is said that they are only loyal to themselves, self absorbed, entitled and challenging to manage. They have a short attention span, are looking to be entertained while at work and have a high need for power, while at the same time demonstrating an equally high disregard for authority. Millenials are said to suffer from ADS – Attention Deficit Syndrome. If you do not capture and hold their attention in the first few mintues, or maybe seconds, they are on to the next adventure. Their thumbs do the talking and they send text messages faster than you can think. The Blackberry Prayer is their constant companion and asking them to switch off their phones is like asking them to cut off their right arm. This description leaves many Baby Boomers shaking their heads in despair. What is the world coming to?

Technology is advancing exponentially and Baby Boomers who hope (or need) to survive in today’s business world will require to not only come to terms with twittering, tweets and what having a second life means, but also to rise to the challenge of creatively partnering with the next generation. America stands at a critical crossroads – we have all but lost our manufacturing base, the recession is eating our lunch, world demographics are shifting the power bases, globality and all that it means is upon us and we need all hands on deck, pulling in the same direction. This is not the time to lament our generational differences, but rather it is the time to team up and synergistically work out how we can be the best we can be, despite our age differences.

Continue Reading "La diversidad esta por todas partes, pero la inclusion no esta"]]> For those of us who are not bi-lingual or multi-lingual the headline reads “Diversity is everywhere, but inclusion is not”. We only have to watch the constant Cable chatter to know that we are a LONG way from being an inclusive society. The nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court this week has unleashed a veritable tirade of racist comments from some predicable and not so predictable sources.

It is the 21st Century; we are the most advanced and the most diverse society in the world and yet we are deluged daily by the espousal of divisive rhetoric in the interest of publicity and television ratings. Being inclusive does not always mean we have to agree with each other, but it should mean that we can come to the table in civilized and respectful dialog without the need for negative labels and name calling.