Life isn’t fair. A lesson most of us were taught as children. I remember learning that lesson in 1st grade. Our class had a ‘sticks and triangle’ band. You either got to click sticks or could make a ringing sound by tapping your triangle with a metal wand. Most kids played the sticks with a few having the privilege of playing the triangle. I really wanted to play the triangle. But, alas was relegated to be a stick clicker. Why did ‘those’ kids get to play the triangle and not me? Life’s just not fair.
Fast forward 50 years and it seems as though in many ways life is still not fair. The question is will you spend your time complaining about it or are you focused on making things better? That’s the difference between a half empty or half full glass.
When it comes to your Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Strategy is your glass half empty or half full? Are you focusing most of your energy telling story after story of past wrongs or are you focused on garnering support for actions will make a difference going forward?
Making positive change in the area of workplace D&I has been a long-time struggle. I’d like to think that most people acknowledge the need for fairness and equity in the workplace and would welcome a work environment where they were respected, valued and heard.
By designing a collaborative approach to D&I that lifts everyone, no matter their race, gender or other demographic, organizations can begin to fully embrace what it means to be equitable and inclusive. The past may not have been fair but the future has lots of promise if you are willing to look at your half-full glass and figure out how to make it over-flow.