Embracing Business Diversity for Growth
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•
As the
cultural demographic shift
continues to transform the face of
America, business leaders are taking a closer look at their inclusion
efforts. The needs of the marketplace are rapidly evolving, and
diversity of thought is crucial for business growth and evolution. This
translates to our personal growth and fulfillment as well. Cultivating
authentic relationships built on collaboration and trust creates an
environment of authenticity and openness where people feel
comfortable having a dialogue about similarities, but about their
differences as well. We all bring something to the table and we all
have limitations. Let's time to learn about one another, truly listen to
other perspectives, and to empower others to achieve their potential.
I
D
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A
S
F
O
R
A
C
T
I
V
I
T
I
E
S
•
Support minority vendors and minority-owned businesses
by utilizing the services and products of local minority
businesses. Ask employees for recommendations or ideas
for resourcing more diverse vendor opportunities.
•
Connection Activity: Create a corkboard display related to
employees' personal important life events, such as
weddings, births, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, family reunions, etc.
Ask employees to share photos or other paper memorabilia.
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.
R
E
S
O
U
R
C
E
S
Articles
•
Appreciating Differences and Valuing Diversity
•
Losing My Mother in the Middle of 2016's Historic
Campaign
Videos
•
The Impact of Kindness
•
Cultural Awareness in Globalized World
2
5
T
I
P
S
1.
Stand up if you see or experience discrimination. Raise your voice for the
unheard opinion. Help others appreciate how every person has a different
strength and realize that in that strength there is opportunity to grow and be more
productive.
2.
Treat a friend to the movies for no reason.
3.
Know the diversity goals and vision of your organization and its connection to the
overall business objectives. Commit to the process by understanding how
diversity impacts your role, and how your role impacts the success of the diversity
initiative.
4.
Write notes of appreciation at least once a week.
5.
Drive positive change in the organization. Be a spokesperson for diversity issues
that are not necessarily your own.
6.
Take flowers to a hospital ward and give them to someone who hasn’t had any
visitors.
7.
29)
Buy a phone card and give to a homeless shelter for them to give to
someone.
2
5
T
I
P
S
8.
Talk to a homeless person and have a “normal” conversation.
9.
Communicate and educate. Diversity work is a journey, not a destination. It takes
time, patience, and perseverance. Be tolerant of coworkers who do not yet appreciate
the value of diversity or who may not always behave respectfully. Often, negative
behavior comes from ignorance rather than malice. A willingness to educate can go a
long way.
10.
Compliment a work colleague for their excellence.
11.
Participate in employee engagement surveys and respond as openly and honestly
as possible. Finding an internal champion with whom you can comfortably express
concerns and/or elicit advice can be instrumental in supporting your efforts.
12.
Give a compliment about your waiter / waitress to his / her manager.
13.
Commit to continuous improvement. Be willing to learn, accept feedback, and
listen to the concerns of those around you. Even the most enlightened individual
can find opportunities for growth.
M
O
R
E
T
I
P
S
14.
Lead by example. If you are the leader at your organization, you need to heed the
call. Tell your team that you are making kindness a focus. Pledge to be kind to
everyone you encounter from vendors to clients to colleagues.
15.
Actively engage in the diversity effort – an Employee Resource Group, or
volunteer to chair or serve on committees that organize diversity-related events
and activities.
16.
Put some coins in someone else’s parking meter.
17.
Extend a little kindness to the new employee’s way. Ask him about himself, his
family, background, etc. Try to find things that he has in common with other team
members. Sharing common experiences is a great way to bring someone into the
fold.
18.
Walk your friend’s dog.
19.
Consider becoming a mentor, mentee or part of a co-mentoring relationship.
These activities require a commitment of time, but represent a valuable
opportunity for personal and professional development.
M
O
R
E
T
I
P
S
20.
Welcome ideas that are different from your own, and support fellow teammates.
The creativity that comes with diversity can help you generate new ideas or
improve a process already in place. It can also make work more interesting,
engaging, and fun.
21.
Give a helping hand when you see someone carrying a lot of stuff.
22.
It's hard to work well together when you have such negative views of the other
party's work ethic. But the reality is everybody works hard. Try a little kindness
with the people who work in other divisions. You might be surprised how it actually
makes things better for you.
23.
Understand the diversity elements you personally bring to the organization.
Diversity comes not only in the form of culture, race, and gender but also includes
elements such as socio-economic background, education level, geographic
location, sexual orientation, thought and many others.
M
O
R
E
T
I
P
S
24.
Acknowledge the cashier who’s helping you and genuinely ask them how they’re
doing.
25.
Put an end to petty criticism. We hear others being negative so we join in to stay
out of the crossfire. We all need to remind ourselves to stay out of that negativity
and instead be kind, nice, and thoughtful.
26.
Become culturally competent. Take the time to learn about different cultures,
races, religions and backgrounds represented by your colleagues. Ask your
coworkers to share some of the customs and practices associated with their
cultures. Become familiar with diversity-related terms and, if you err, apologize
and ask for help.
A
P
P
E
N
D
I
X
•
We can’t take all of the credit. In compiling this information, we referenced the
following organizations and websites:
•
Entrepreneur.com
•
DiversityJournal.com
•
Lifehack.org
•
ReliablePlant.com
•
SpreadKindness.org
As cultural demographics shift, businesses must prioritize inclusivity for sustainable growth. Learn strategies and activities to foster appreciation for differences. Explore resources, practical tips, and engaging activities to promote diversity and understanding within your organization.
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Presentation Transcript
Appreciating differences is good for business, and good for us as individuals. The following pages contain verbiage, tips, a printable poster and other articles and resources that you can reference and share with your co-workers and employees.
WHAT AND WHY As the cultural demographic shift continues to transform the face of America, business leaders are taking a closer look at their inclusion efforts. The needs of the marketplace are rapidly evolving, and diversity of thought is crucial for business growth and evolution. This translates to our personal growth and fulfillment as well. Cultivating authentic relationships built on collaboration and trust creates an environment of authenticity and openness where people feel comfortable having a dialogue about similarities, but about their differences as well. We all bring something to the table and we all have limitations. Let's time to learn about one another, truly listen to other perspectives, and to empower others to achieve their potential.
IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES Support minority vendors and minority-owned businesses by utilizing the services and products of local minority businesses. Ask employees for recommendations or ideas for resourcing more diverse vendor opportunities. Connection Activity: Create a corkboard display related to employees' personal important life events, such as weddings, births, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, family reunions, etc. Ask employees to share photos or other paper memorabilia.
IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES Use resources and books like Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to do Business in 60 Countries to find out more about the cultural norms of how business is conducted in countries your organization has operations in, does business with or that you will be personally visiting. Remember that those norms may be similar or greatly different from the United States. Connection Activity: Respectfully ask your international colleagues questions to learn more about their customs around punctuality, gift-giving, business cards, negotiating, greeting protocol, forms of address, etc. When in doubt, always ask for more information.
RESOURCES Articles Appreciating Differences and Valuing Diversity Losing My Mother in the Middle of 2016's Historic Campaign Videos The Impact of Kindness Cultural Awareness in Globalized World
25 TIPS 1. Stand up if you see or experience discrimination. Raise your voice for the unheard opinion. Help others appreciate how every person has a different strength and realize that in that strength there is opportunity to grow and be more productive. Treat a friend to the movies for no reason. Know the diversity goals and vision of your organization and its connection to the overall business objectives. Commit to the process by understanding how diversity impacts your role, and how your role impacts the success of the diversity initiative. Write notes of appreciation at least once a week. Drive positive change in the organization. Be a spokesperson for diversity issues that are not necessarily your own. Take flowers to a hospital ward and give them to someone who hasn t had any visitors. 29) Buy a phone card and give to a homeless shelter for them to give to someone. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
25 TIPS 8. Talk to a homeless person and have a normal conversation. 9. Communicate and educate. Diversity work is a journey, not a destination. It takes time, patience, and perseverance. Be tolerant of coworkers who do not yet appreciate the value of diversity or who may not always behave respectfully. Often, negative behavior comes from ignorance rather than malice. A willingness to educate can go a long way. 10. Compliment a work colleague for their excellence. 11. Participate in employee engagement surveys and respond as openly and honestly as possible. Finding an internal champion with whom you can comfortably express concerns and/or elicit advice can be instrumental in supporting your efforts. 12. Give a compliment about your waiter / waitress to his / her manager. 13. Commit to continuous improvement. Be willing to learn, accept feedback, and listen to the concerns of those around you. Even the most enlightened individual can find opportunities for growth.
MORE TIPS 14. Lead by example. If you are the leader at your organization, you need to heed the call. Tell your team that you are making kindness a focus. Pledge to be kind to everyone you encounter from vendors to clients to colleagues. 15. Actively engage in the diversity effort an Employee Resource Group, or volunteer to chair or serve on committees that organize diversity-related events and activities. 16. Put some coins in someone else s parking meter. 17. Extend a little kindness to the new employee s way. Ask him about himself, his family, background, etc. Try to find things that he has in common with other team members. Sharing common experiences is a great way to bring someone into the fold. 18. Walk your friend s dog. 19. Consider becoming a mentor, mentee or part of a co-mentoring relationship. These activities require a commitment of time, but represent a valuable opportunity for personal and professional development.
MORE TIPS 20. Welcome ideas that are different from your own, and support fellow teammates. The creativity that comes with diversity can help you generate new ideas or improve a process already in place. It can also make work more interesting, engaging, and fun. 21. Give a helping hand when you see someone carrying a lot of stuff. 22. It's hard to work well together when you have such negative views of the other party's work ethic. But the reality is everybody works hard. Try a little kindness with the people who work in other divisions. You might be surprised how it actually makes things better for you. 23. Understand the diversity elements you personally bring to the organization. Diversity comes not only in the form of culture, race, and gender but also includes elements such as socio-economic background, education level, geographic location, sexual orientation, thought and many others.
MORE TIPS 24. Acknowledge the cashier who s helping you and genuinely ask them how they re doing. 25. Put an end to petty criticism. We hear others being negative so we join in to stay out of the crossfire. We all need to remind ourselves to stay out of that negativity and instead be kind, nice, and thoughtful. 26. Become culturally competent. Take the time to learn about different cultures, races, religions and backgrounds represented by your colleagues. Ask your coworkers to share some of the customs and practices associated with their cultures. Become familiar with diversity-related terms and, if you err, apologize and ask for help.
APPENDIX We can t take all of the credit. In compiling this information, we referenced the following organizations and websites: Entrepreneur.com DiversityJournal.com Lifehack.org ReliablePlant.com SpreadKindness.org
