Thrive Together Through Our Uniqueness
April represents different things to different people: Tax month, Earth Day, April showers bringing spring flowers, and an area that I’m committed to is that April also recognizes Diversity and Autism awareness.
Look at the flavors on that ice cream cone in the picture! Who doesn’t like Baskin & Robbins 31 flavors ice cream? Now that is diversity. I love pralines & cream the most (and strawberry and butter pecan), Clarke (my hubby) loves pistachio. What flavor(s) do you love the most?
What's my connection to ice cream and diversity?
the multitude of ice cream choices expands beyond the familiar chocolate and vanilla and creates different experiences for all to enjoy.
some prefer a sugar cone,
others a plain cone,
yet others prefer the ice cream in a cup.
How different does your work environment, neighborhood, business connections, circle of friends, and even family look? Are there differences or is everyone pretty much the same in terms of appearance, thinking, generation, or experiences? What would happen if there were more differences?
Let me share a statement that really resonated with me from the Leadershift book by John Maxwell in the chapter "Team Uniformity to Team Diversity"….
"People different than me can make a positive difference in me." Does that statement resonate with you, too?
General definition of diversity:
Diversity: mix of differences not limited to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, age, generation and job function.
Whether you are building a team, getting new clients or connecting in your community, I hope you'll keep reading as I share some tools to transform what may be a struggle with accepting differences to instead, embrace each of our differences as an asset.
Barriers
1) Fear of conflict – if we surround ourselves with people different than us, we become uncomfortable. We may feel that it’s simpler to navigate through as much life as we can with as little conflict as possible and keep a high value on sameness.
2) Limited diverse network – it’s convenient to reach out to those we know, already in our network when we need help (i.e., recruiting, needing resources) if we don’t have a diverse network, those we add to our circle are like us and we prevent diversifying.
3) Bias- we all have biases that stem from prejudices and stereotypes- if we aren’t aware of them, we will not remove those blindspots and will continue to judge... no growth or diversification occurs
4) Arrogance – we feel content and comfortable and don’t see the value in getting uncomfortable when life is good…
Don’t beat yourself up if you recognize that one or more of these is representative of you. Which of these four barriers could you tweak to remove limitations and increase diversity? I know for me, I've learned a lot about biases that I have and the more aware I have become, the more accepting I'm becoming.
Solutions
1) Awareness/introspection- look inside yourself, be humble, and take one step at a time toward inclusion of others
2) Empathize – some experiences that you hear others share may not have happened to you but when you empathize, you begin to understand how you would feel if it happened to you.
3) Step out of your comfort zone – actually put yourself in a different environment. There are such great examples in the book by Miles McPherson The Third Option where he asked people to go to parts of another community they didn’t frequent (spoiler alert – there’s a fabulous story about a guy visiting a barbershop in another neighborhood...)
Benefits
1) There is so much research that proves that diverse companies are more profitable because of the varied experiences people bring to the table,
2) Employee engagement increases and creates loyalty within the company
3) Learning from the experiences of others enriches each individual and the team
4) People feel as though they belong- their experience may be unique, but the uniqueness is seen as an asset to the total organization.
One of the things I’m mindful of doing this month in recognition of Autism awareness month is watching movies about people with autism (last month I watched a lot of women’s movies for Women’s History Month) and I am learning so much! It’s hard and gut wrenching because watching the people with autism experience judgment and bullying. I’m learning though, growing and becoming more sensitive to the world in which they live.
I invite you to check out the most recent LinkedIn live program with this same title "Thrive Together Through Our Uniqueness " where the extremely knowledgeable panelists Denice Hinden, Deborah Thorne and Qyunh Nguyen impart their experiences, wisdom and resources. Click here
As Mahatma Gandhi taught us: "Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be beauty and the test of our civilization"
And I’ll add: Adding flavors to our palate will enrich our lives!
Click here and scroll down to access the Inclusion Appreciation Calendar to keep you abreast of special diversity events recognized every month.
If you read through this letter it validates that we are on this journey together. Thank you for showing your appreciation to me!
Let me know how I can help you with tools to become an even more effective leader.
I'm looking for more individuals like you, who are committed to cross the bridge from where they are, and take the right steps to narrow gaps...at work, at home and in the community.
Abundance to you!!!
Connect with me on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/michellebeauchamp
Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thechampgroup
Make today matter. Let's cross the bridge together to learn.grow.succeed.
Creating Significance
Michelle Beauchamp
The Champ Group
949-713-3622
www.beasaleschamp.net
