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Can we create meaningful diversity?
Reaching across cultures is challenging. I’d flown halfway around the world to be introduced. “Mom, this is my new boyfriend,” my girlfriend says in Mandarin. Mom looks me up and down and scoffs. Then she scolds my girlfriend, “We don’t joke about that!” Mom knows what boyfriends look like, and they’re not 6’2” white guys with goofy smiles. Mom is now my Mother-in-Law. I still speak little Mandarin and don’t understand why Mom visits the grave of people she disrespects. Yet I’ve earned Mom’s respect. She’s seen me rub my wife’s shoulders when my wife’s ill; she knows I love her daughter. Mom’s watched me toss a tennis ball with my sons; she knows I care about her grandkids. And I’ve eaten at Mom’s table; Mom knows I enjoy her chicken fried rice more than her own children.
Cultural divisions expand as we only search out people ‘like us’ through digital technology. Increasingly, we view those not like us as caricatures, falsely assuming others’ views are extreme and unrealistic. And those cultural divides challenge socially responsible companies attempting to welcome racial diversity, gender equality, and openness to sexual orientation and political affiliation.
Begin bridging the cultural divide to welcome others through respect: consciously remind yourself that most people think, care, and are curious. Open the conversation about differences, learning how things work in others’ worlds. Recognize that your cultural background determines how you define everything from reasonable vacation to on time, teammates, and business casual. And accept that it’s ok to disagree and want different things.
As a leader, you must get past the fear of looking foolish that hinders meaningful conversation. And you cannot accept destructive platitudes like, “we treat everyone the same”, and “bias is wrong.” You and I have different goals, we come with different personal baggage, and we will always understand words from a short, white woman differently than the same words from a tall black man. Bridging the cultural divide means creating insights, strategies, and tools to help recognize and accept difference. When was the last time you asked someone, “What’s it like to be a _______ at work?”
Please also share your thoughts in the comments or by sending me an email: info@RodWallacePhD.Com.
Our society cannot just survive. For the sake of our children, it must thrive.
Rod
Dr. Rod Wallace is an economist, consultant, and speaker who helps businesses make more money by solving society’s problems. A Fulbright Fellow, he has led multi-organization billion-dollar initiatives worldwide and partnered with a Silicon Valley pioneer to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence on society.
Rod speaks about how to integrate social responsibility into business to maximize profit and purpose. He highlights digital technology’s impact on society and the strategies and tools with which business can solve our big, systemic problems.
Contact Rod at info@RodWallacePhD.com.