Mostly Alike?

Monday Message from Jerry Houston, President and CEO of HPISolutions

Let’s describe how people are alike:

Two Eyes                                             Two Ears                              One Nose                            One Mouth

Two Arms                                            Two Hands                          One Brain                            One Heart

Two Feet                                             Two Legs                               Feelings/Emotions          Etc.

You get the idea.  In the end, we are all people.  Yes, some are tall, some short, some artistic, some mechanical, some creative, some logical.

It always surprises me when some folks focus on our differences as opposed to what we all share in common.  Most people want to do well, have safety and security, a sense of belonging, have self-esteem and feel valued by others.  Some want to be self-actualized, pursuing their God-given talents, utilizing their creativity and reaching a higher level of fulfillment of purpose.

I want to focus on the idea of the leader’s role in assisting those that they lead in reaching these goals, regardless of the color of a person’s skin, origins, gender identity, socio-economic background and so on.

In this time of great change in our lives we all need to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion in a much more vibrant way as the world of work changes forever.  According to the experts at Korn Ferry there are four steps to creating an environment in your workplace that embraces all, leading to a rich tapestry of talent, ability, and perspectives to enhance the culture and to maximize the innovation potential of your organization.  They are:

Understand the root causes. Examine the data and listen to your people.

Build inclusive leadership. Recruit and develop leaders who are open and accepting of others at every level.

Shape behavioral inclusion. Help your people build inclusive mindsets, skillsets and relationships.

Architect structural inclusion. Use inclusive design to build equitable and transparent structures, processes, practices and algorithms.

Remember that diversity is inviting everyone to the dance, and inclusion is asking everyone to dance.

Also remember that everyone should be treated equally and paid equally for the work they perform, regardless of their gender or their background or ethnicity.

When people feel valued, treated with mutual respect and trust, they will be at their highest potential to return value to the organization.  Maybe then we will see a major shift in the desire of so many to join the Great Resignation.

Have a Great Week!