Dr. B's Blog

Organizations with sound diversity and inclusion strategies frequently experience higher rates of creativity, are able to hire and retain the best and brightest talent and make product development a priority in order to stay competitive.

Yet for years — and in some circles today — the word diversity has been associated with controversial, even negatively viewed practices, such as affirmative action, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, artificial quotas, and listed as the cause of unqualified people “getting in.” These arguments are rooted in our personal values, beliefs and tribalism.

Inclusion — a state or condition where differences are accepted, valued and respected — is often thought of in a more positive light despite creating many of the same effects. Employees in inclusive work environments often perform at higher levels, commit to staying longer with the organization, and are more creative and more engaged than those working in more exclusive environments. Like a safe and healthy planet that is free of toxic waste, we need safe and healthy organizations that are free of toxic attitudes and destructive behaviors.

Read the rest of the article by clicking here:  Clean up your toxic workplace.

Are you working in a toxic workplace? What do you believe should be done to “cleanup” your workplace?

Dr. B

The Psychology of Personal Terrorism – Overcoming Fear

 
Why are we not as inclusive as we could be? There are lots of reasons but mostly we tend to fear what we do not know and what we do not understand. We tend to fear honest discussions about gender, ethnicity and race issues because generally these issues are related to our personal fears about being exposed.
The goal of terrorism is to produce abnormal fear through acts of disruption (violence) that send a high impact message to intended targets. In other words, terrorism limits the ability of the targeted to think clearly to produce abnormal fear. Terror conditions us to be afraid to go beyond the boundaries others set for us or those we set for ourselves.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929. King Sr. observed he and his wife had no idea of King Jr.’s impending greatness until, as a teenager, he wrote a letter to the editor of a local paper which received widespread and favorable comment. MLK Jr. began Morehouse College at the age of 15 reading at the 8th grade level. The young Martin King understood even at that early age, terrorism and fear would hinder people from maximizing their potential. In August of 1946 the teenage King wrote a letter to the Atlanta Constitution most likely as a result of the lynching of a World War II veteran for voting in Taylor County GA and 2 black couples in Walton County GA.
Of fear, Dr. King said, “Normal fear protects us; abnormal fear paralyses us. Normal fear motivates us to improve our individual and collective welfare; abnormal fear constantly poisons and distorts our inner lives. Our problem is not to be rid of fear but, rather to harness and master it.”

How will you master your fear? Share your thoughts here.

Dr. B

As a nation comprised of distinct individuals, we have and continue to struggle to understand what diversity really means. This term, diversity, carries so much negativity and baggage with it, the challenge to honestly discuss the subject may seem overwhelming at times.  I often say we don’t really need more diversity as everyone on the planet is already diverse. What we are not is inclusive in our behaviors and attitudes toward each other. I contend we should stop focusing on what a person looks like (external packaging) and focus on what gifts, skills, or talents an individual “brings to the table”.

Do you believe we have done all we can to facilitate an understanding of what diversity really means in order to develop inclusive behaviors toward each other? If not, what else could we be doing?

Dr. B

Are you experiencing “diversity fatigue”? If yes, what does that mean to you and what do you think should or could be done about it?