Category Archives: General Info

The Shift of Diversity to Being a Key Strategic Initiative

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I recently completed a proposal for diversity services for a prospective client, and was reviewing some of the materials I wrote. A key point I made is that the need for a diversity strategy has been rapidly shifting from a “we need to do this because of legal requirements” or “this is something nice to do” to “this is truly an important strategic business initiative.” Instead of diversity being a “defensive” strategy, it needs to be an offensive strategy to win in the workplace and marketplace.

A team participating in a strategic planning discussion . . . but they don't look very diverse, do they?

Today’s economy is changing rapidly; it is become much more global and internet-based. Commerce can easily be transacted globally and even small work teams are becoming more culturally and internationally diverse. To survive in today’s environment, a growing company needs to easily know how to sell to a global diverse marketplace as well as successfully manage geographically spread diverse teams.

Here are just a few of the questions I posed to the perspective client in terms of getting them to think about the importance of diversity:

• Are you recruiting the very best talent from the widest possible candidate pool?
• Is every single employee valued as a member of the team for their unique talents and contributions so that each of them can perform at their peak capacity?
• Is each employee engaged such that there is not threat of them leaving the company because they feel isolated, disenfranchised or not part of the “in group”?
• Are you reaching all the diverse constituents you seek to serve and sell to?
• Do you have an excellent reputation across all the diverse communities in which you seek to sell, serve and recruit talent?

Most companies today have web pages that espouse corporate core values such as focusing on all customers, valuing all employees, contributing to the community, respecting all cultures, etc. Now they must expend the effort to develop and execute a strategic diversity initiative that truly supports these values within the context of the changing business environment.

Check out my diversity expertise (deep expertise in LGBT – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender as well as ability to handle comprehensive diversity strategy) since I could assist you in your diversity venture. And be looking for my next blog were I will discuss various types of diversity.

I Was a Victim of Stereotyping . . . and It Hurt!

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I don’t often share personal experiences in my blogs but this time I will.

I often provide workshops on diversity and sensitivity training, and one of the modules explores stereotyping. I use an exercise called “Release the Stereotype You Have of Others” from Clyde W. Ford’s Book, “We Can All Get Along.”

"We Can All Get Along, 50 Steps You Can Take To End Raciscm" is an excellent resource by author / speaker Clyde W. Ford

Webster’s dictionary defines stereotyping as “forming a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion.” That includes denying the individuality of a person and jumping to conclusions about them.

Admittedly, as a white male in the US, I rarely am a personal victim of stereotyping. That does sometimes make it hard to teach about something painful that I may not experience often myself. But very recently I was a victim of being stereotyped, and it hurt.

I will speak in generalities since I do not wish to divulge the identity of the offending party. It began as I was trying to reach out to a regional leader of an organization I am involved with and a member of. One of the concerns I wanted to express is that a number of simple questions that I had called in or e-mailed to the organizational headquarters had gone unanswered.

When my request for contact got to the correct person, their initial reply to me was a curtly worded e-mail about how the organization is unable to promote the services of one consultant over another. When I received the e-mail, I was shocked! The person assumed that because I was a private consultant, that I was a cut-throat, aggressive operative who was only interested in how the organization could promote my business. And this was an organization I pay dues to and had performed community service with on multiple occasions. No “thank you,” no “how are you;” instead just an attack based upon a stereotypical view of me as a consultant. I truly felt insulted and minimalized as a person and as a professional.

The good news is that I shared my feelings with the offending party and we cleared up the misunderstanding.

Two recommendations:
• Do not stereotype. View each person you interact with as a unique individual.
• Don’t jump to conclusions about someone’s agenda based on their demographics. Ask first before responding or interacting.