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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The Journey to Inclusive Leadership by Rebecca Hastings
A very interesting article (included below) written by Rebecca Hastings, an online editor for SHRM, proposes a unique course of action-- being less comfortable with the "too comfortable". In quote from John Forland, senior associate for Graybridge Malkam, " We need to be more comfortable with the uncomfortable and less comfortable with the too comfortable". He cites that in order to be more comfortable, one must be more open to learning about and understanding others; and not making assumptions by external characteristics.
Read the article below:
The Journey to Inclusive Leadership
11/2/2009 By Rebecca R. Hastings, SPHR
To be regarded as an inclusive leader, one must live a set of values that place human relationships at the center of business, according to John Dorland, senior associate for Graybridge Malkam, a consultancy specializing in global competency. But getting there is a journey, not a program, he said.
The journey begins with conscious efforts to step outside one’s comfort zone.
“We need to be more comfortable with the uncomfortable and less comfortable with the too comfortable,” Dorland told those who attended his Oct. 19, 2009, concurrent session at the SHRM Diversity Conference & Exposition in San Diego.
For example, in order to get to know someone, two individuals begin by exchanging information, such as name, occupation and place of business. The more individuals share information the more they will gain knowledge of each other, Dorland said, and that leads to a better understanding of the other person. Greater understanding leads to greater comfort.
But it all starts with that conscious, deliberate choice to reach out to another human being, he said, particularly to those who appear, on the surface, to be most unlike oneself.
According to Dorland, most people, most of the time, tend to make assumptions about people based on external characteristics. From those assumptions, conclusions are drawn. And from those conclusions come decisions or actions. But such decisions are often flawed, he said, because the original assumptions made about others are often wrong.
And to further complicate matters, “We often don’t know what we don’t know,” he said.
Yet human beings tend to be driven powerfully by what they can see.
Dorland, who lost his sight 18 years ago as a result of medication he was taking for leukemia, said one of the “neat things” about not being able to see is that he can’t see skin color, age or other physical characteristics. All he knows about people is what they choose to share with him over time.
People tend to see similarities and differences on the surface, but the layers that make individuals unique beings include their personality, internal dimensions such as race, ethnicity and gender, external dimensions such as marital status, religion, personal habits and appearance, and organizational dimensions such as seniority, location and function.
In order for an organization to value the unique combination of traits individuals bring to the table, it must have an environment that allows each person to contribute in their own way.
But it’s a two-way street, he noted: “Each of us, the unique individual we are, has to work with the organization to help it leverage our value.”
Dorland said his company at first had no idea what to do with him once he lost his sight. He refused to go on long-term disability, and the company eventually realized that his extensive knowledge and experience gained from working in 147 countries over 30 years had not been lost. And they found that he could still do many things—including making presentations—just as effectively.
Inclusion Is More than Being Nice
Dorland said inclusion means ensuring that all employees have equal access to sharing and using the talents they bring to the organization. Inclusive leadership is therefore more than being nice. It begins with respect, he said, and it requires the willingness and ability to communicate across differences. This requires:
• A mutual willingness to engage.
• Two parties who are willing to “tell their truth.”
• Individuals who are willing to “shift their truth” in the face of new information.
• A willingness to listen with understanding.
“A good leader always leads from the front,” Dorland said. “Demonstrate by virtue of your own example the actions and attitudes you want demonstrated.”
To support inclusive leadership, Dorland said, organizations need to ensure that inclusion is a non-negotiable reality, create discomfort with exclusive practices and generate a sense of urgency about inclusion.
He offered several other tips for organization leaders:
• Think we, not I.
• Practice generosity, not greed.
• Work at minimizing conflict by reminding everyone that they truly are family.
“We all have a leadership role in this context,” he said. Inclusive leadership is less about power and position and more about the quality of interaction between people.
Inclusive leaders first develop a broad awareness of diversity and the impact changing demographics have on the business. This knowledge can lead to a better understanding of self, which in turn sets a leader on the journey of building an inclusive work environment.
“We have to look at it as a fundamental way of how we manage our business,” Dorland said. “We will never reach that endpoint where we can set it aside and focus on something else.
“This isn’t a ‘nice to do,’ ” he added. “Our economic challenges just reinforce the sense of urgency.”
Rebecca R. Hastings, SPHR, is an online editor/manager for SHRM.
Read the article below:
The Journey to Inclusive Leadership
11/2/2009 By Rebecca R. Hastings, SPHR
To be regarded as an inclusive leader, one must live a set of values that place human relationships at the center of business, according to John Dorland, senior associate for Graybridge Malkam, a consultancy specializing in global competency. But getting there is a journey, not a program, he said.
The journey begins with conscious efforts to step outside one’s comfort zone.
“We need to be more comfortable with the uncomfortable and less comfortable with the too comfortable,” Dorland told those who attended his Oct. 19, 2009, concurrent session at the SHRM Diversity Conference & Exposition in San Diego.
For example, in order to get to know someone, two individuals begin by exchanging information, such as name, occupation and place of business. The more individuals share information the more they will gain knowledge of each other, Dorland said, and that leads to a better understanding of the other person. Greater understanding leads to greater comfort.
But it all starts with that conscious, deliberate choice to reach out to another human being, he said, particularly to those who appear, on the surface, to be most unlike oneself.
According to Dorland, most people, most of the time, tend to make assumptions about people based on external characteristics. From those assumptions, conclusions are drawn. And from those conclusions come decisions or actions. But such decisions are often flawed, he said, because the original assumptions made about others are often wrong.
And to further complicate matters, “We often don’t know what we don’t know,” he said.
Yet human beings tend to be driven powerfully by what they can see.
Dorland, who lost his sight 18 years ago as a result of medication he was taking for leukemia, said one of the “neat things” about not being able to see is that he can’t see skin color, age or other physical characteristics. All he knows about people is what they choose to share with him over time.
People tend to see similarities and differences on the surface, but the layers that make individuals unique beings include their personality, internal dimensions such as race, ethnicity and gender, external dimensions such as marital status, religion, personal habits and appearance, and organizational dimensions such as seniority, location and function.
In order for an organization to value the unique combination of traits individuals bring to the table, it must have an environment that allows each person to contribute in their own way.
But it’s a two-way street, he noted: “Each of us, the unique individual we are, has to work with the organization to help it leverage our value.”
Dorland said his company at first had no idea what to do with him once he lost his sight. He refused to go on long-term disability, and the company eventually realized that his extensive knowledge and experience gained from working in 147 countries over 30 years had not been lost. And they found that he could still do many things—including making presentations—just as effectively.
Inclusion Is More than Being Nice
Dorland said inclusion means ensuring that all employees have equal access to sharing and using the talents they bring to the organization. Inclusive leadership is therefore more than being nice. It begins with respect, he said, and it requires the willingness and ability to communicate across differences. This requires:
• A mutual willingness to engage.
• Two parties who are willing to “tell their truth.”
• Individuals who are willing to “shift their truth” in the face of new information.
• A willingness to listen with understanding.
“A good leader always leads from the front,” Dorland said. “Demonstrate by virtue of your own example the actions and attitudes you want demonstrated.”
To support inclusive leadership, Dorland said, organizations need to ensure that inclusion is a non-negotiable reality, create discomfort with exclusive practices and generate a sense of urgency about inclusion.
He offered several other tips for organization leaders:
• Think we, not I.
• Practice generosity, not greed.
• Work at minimizing conflict by reminding everyone that they truly are family.
“We all have a leadership role in this context,” he said. Inclusive leadership is less about power and position and more about the quality of interaction between people.
Inclusive leaders first develop a broad awareness of diversity and the impact changing demographics have on the business. This knowledge can lead to a better understanding of self, which in turn sets a leader on the journey of building an inclusive work environment.
“We have to look at it as a fundamental way of how we manage our business,” Dorland said. “We will never reach that endpoint where we can set it aside and focus on something else.
“This isn’t a ‘nice to do,’ ” he added. “Our economic challenges just reinforce the sense of urgency.”
Rebecca R. Hastings, SPHR, is an online editor/manager for SHRM.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
30 Days of Dignity and Respect
Inclusion begins with a core belief that everyone deserves Dignity and Respect. This ideal is critical to building and sustaining an environment in which everyone feels welcomed, valued, and appreciated.
Join us in the pledge to commit to treating others the way they want to be treated. Visit http://www.dignityandrespectcampaign.com/ to learn more about the 30 Tips of Dignity and Respect and to ensure that inclusion is at the core of what you do every day!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Greetings!
Welcome to our new Blog focused on promoting a community of Dignity and Respect. By committing to treating others they way they want to be treated, you too, can help to create a workplace, classroom, organization or even household of Dignity and Respect.
By practicing one of the '30 Tips of Dignity and Respect' each day, we can enhance our own lives and impact the lives of others, by contributing to an environment of inclusion. Sometimes it's the smallest things that have the biggest impact. Join us in our dignity and Respect Campaign by making sure that inclusion is at the core of what you do every day!
Welcome to our new Blog focused on promoting a community of Dignity and Respect. By committing to treating others they way they want to be treated, you too, can help to create a workplace, classroom, organization or even household of Dignity and Respect.
By practicing one of the '30 Tips of Dignity and Respect' each day, we can enhance our own lives and impact the lives of others, by contributing to an environment of inclusion. Sometimes it's the smallest things that have the biggest impact. Join us in our dignity and Respect Campaign by making sure that inclusion is at the core of what you do every day!
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