Dear Alumni:
Leadership Toolbox: Recognizing Diversity Opportunities
Posted by John Weyer on July 19, 2007
From the Summer, 2007 issue (Vol. 6 No. 2) of the Community Leader newsletter:
In this issue of Community Leader, our leadership team has tackled the issue of recognizing the opportunities that come with diversity. The following are 5 tips to help you communicate more effectively with and invite a diverse spectrum of views to your community leadership table:
Tip No. 1: Learn and understand your own cultural norms as a way of better understanding others.
It’s not enough to just say, ‘I just respect everyone.’ Be specific — what are the behaviors related to your definition of respect? Is it waiting for someone to pause for a second or two before responding or adding your own comments to something they said? Or, is it ‘jumping right in’ mid-sentence as they’re speaking because you’re trying to show them that you’re actively engaged in the conversation (i.e., a typical Woody Allen movie!)? Both of these are examples of ‘respectful’ communication – depending on the perspective you’re taking.
Tip No. 2: Be empathetic.
Everyone has a different life experience and you demonstrate effective leadership when you validate others’ experiences even though you may not fully understand.
Tip No. 3: Be curious.
Express genuine interest in learning about others.
Tip No. 4: Be reciprocal.
Just as you express interest in learning about others, try beginning some of that conversation with information about yourself. This helps remove the idea that the one who is different from the norm is the one who is supposed to educate everyone about their difference.
Tip No. 5: Be flexible and adaptable.
The more you learn about others, the more you realize that everyone is different and unique each needing some different things from you. Be wary of ‘one size fits all’ approaches to learning about cultural differences. You have to get to know individuals as well as within the context of the many groups to which they belong.
We’ll all make a few mistakes but remember – authenticity trumps perfection!
