Stop Talking About Diversity

You read that right. Stop.

Here's why...

All Talk
Many organizations, leaders, and employees claim to be be pro-diversity. They preach fairness for all...a culture of support and risk-taking...and the joke-of-all-time...an open door policy.

They're lying.

All of that talk does nothing except disappoint. Why? There is no follow through. There is no real risk-taking...and there certainly isn't an investment in diversity in a meaningful way for most companies.

Mirror Time
Let's do a little self-assessment of ourselves and our organizations, shall we?

1.  Do you have a Chief Diversity Officer?

2.  If not, have you aggressively advocated for one?

3.  Do you reward employees for taking risks; or, is your corporate culture based on a small group of leaders (typically pale and male) deciding who is a "good fit?"

4.  Does your organization recognize the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday?

5.  Do your benefits policies include employees who are part of the LGBT community?

6.  Do you focus on having a diverse slate of candidates for open positions?

7.  Are wages for men and women in similar roles....similar?

8.  If not, how are you possibly justifying that values-based decision? (Yes, it is a statement about your corporate values.)

How About You
The list of priorities around diversity is a long one. I've highlighted a fraction of those opportunities here...the proverbial low-hanging-fruit we all love to take care of right away.

Are you going to pick this fruit in your organization?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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People Exactly Like Us

I spend a lot of time thinking about how people are treated. Sometimes it's the tragic news stories that dominate my twitter news list. Other times the pain is very local...an overheard racial slur, or a demeaning comment about a gay or lesbian person.

I have to tell you...I'm feeling sad today.

Questions
Now before you think I'm getting all soft and weepy, consider these questions:

- What have you done in your workplace, above and beyond what the law requires, to create a positive environment for all employees?

- What words do you use, even casually away from work? Do you have a "leadership" vocabulary for the office, and a "personal" one when you're with your friends?

- Do you support companies that have track records of discriminating against people simply because they are different?

- When you experience forms of discrimination, large or small, do you speak up or play it safe and remain silent?

People Are People
Thankfully my parents instilled in me from the moment I was old enough to interact with other human beings that everyone is equal. 

No group, viewpoint, or taken-out-of-context Bible verse justifies discriminating against anyone. (By the way, my Father was a very successful Pastor.)

The good news in all of the persistent chaos around us is that we do have laws that protect people, more and more states are recognizing the rights of people to love and marry whomever they chose, and companies like mine are offering benefits to all employees.

How About You
Do you make sure your organization accepts everyone? How exactly do you make that happen? It would be a shame if any of our organizations had a reputation for only hiring people who were just like us.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 




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Pinterest: The New Diversity Battleground?

I've only recently started using Pinterest. There was so much buzz about it, and since I try to stay reasonably current I did what any smart person would do...I called Craig Fisher to learn the real story. He was gracious with his time and shared some insights that I'll be putting into practice shortly from a recruitment perspective.

So off I went to learn, experiment, and play with this new fangled tool...and a discussion of sorts started playing out on one of my Pinterest boards. Apparently the threat of treating all people with respect has spilled over onto this new social site.

People Are People, Right?

Maybe it's just me, but if the people who are so threatened by our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender friends, coworkers and neighbors would just put that same energy into helping people verus attacking people, imagine what our world would look like?

How About You

Are you as surprised as I am that the threat of treating all people equally has now spilled over onto Pinterest? What do you do when confronted with this type of narrow-minded bigotry?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.




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Flames of Ignorance

I am troubled.

I  am troubled about the negativity that continues to be directed at our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) friends. Yes, friends.  They live and work in our communities, organizations and neighborhoods. Add to it the bizarre decision by this organization and it seems we are openly attacking innocent people based simply on their sexual orientation. Since when is it okay in a civilized society to attack innocent people? I am aware that bigotry and ignorance exist, but it is disappointing to me that governments and organizations in the "modern" world would actually move ahead in such a mean-spirited way against other human beings. This my friends is totally unacceptable. 

One Nation Under God…Really?

To further complicate matters, some of these folks actually attempt to use religion, primarily Christianity, as the rationale for their position.  The reality is that the teachings of Christianity, other major faiths, and the tenets of human decency regardless of one’s faith perspective, are about as far away from these hate-inspired and homophobic attitudes as one could imagine. Families today are made up of many diverse situations, but that doesn't mean they aren't loving families. I wonder if Rick Santorum would refuse life-saving treatment from a gay physician who was married to another gay person?  I bet his perspective might shift just a bit in that moment, don't you?

Make A Choice

So with all this venom flying around us we are faced with quite a dilemma.  What does one do about all of this “unReligious” inspired hate?  Well, I for one am no longer comfortable sitting idly by and letting the racists and fear mongers control the message.  Leaders of people, ALL people, do not see color, or age, or orientation…they see people.  So the next time a person, or organization, or State allows a few voices to rally the masses to take shameful action in the name of “what’s right” remember these words from Martin Niemöller:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

How About You

What are you going to do the next time you hear an innocent person being attacked simply because they are gay or lesbian?  Are you going to remain silent so as to avoid confrontation; or, will you step up and show everyone around you that you are a leader.  Do not allow yourself to become mesmerized by the flames of ignorance...while you’re watching someone else is feeling the burn.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.


pic courtesy of politicalmonkey2010