008 Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging: What's the Difference and What Difference Do They Make
“Diversity isn’t rocket science. It’s harder. We are trying to do inside our walls what society hasn’t fully achieved.”
Episode Summary:
In this episode, Gloria Feldt shares her experiences and thoughts about the importance of diversity, both gender and ethnic, in the workplace. She also discusses solutions and successes used by a variety of businesses and thought leaders, including the use of the word ‘belonging’ over ‘tolerance.’
Gloria discusses the connection between racism and sexism, and cites research that has found diversity improves the bottom line. She shares why many companies say they value diversity, though they execute on it with greater or lesser success, depending on several factors.
As a culture, if we see diversity as a plus, it is a plus. If we see it as a divide, it will divide us, with potentially disastrous consequences. Listen to this episode and connect with Gloria on social media to share your thoughts on this important topic.
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Resources
Articles and websites cited
Fast Company: How Hiding Your True Self at Work Can Hurt Your Career
The New York Times: A Common Trait Among Mass Killers: Hatred Toward Women
Forbes: A Study Finds That Diverse Companies Produce 19% More Revenue
The Movement Blog: The Diversity Divide: How Two Words Clash and so Do the Worlds They Represent
Social Links
Gloria’s Website & Social Media
Take The Lead’s Website and Social Media
Quotes / Tweetables
“As the nation reels from mass shootings and fears for future ones, the evidence mounts that misogyny runs deep in the veins of those who perpetrate such acts. And in my experience, racism and sexism are joined at the head. Where you find one, you usually find the other.”
“The explicit and implicit bias I experienced shaped much of my behavior. My response was to ‘cover,’ taking on the habits of those around me. As do many women and minorities in the workforce every day, still.”
“Far from being a zero-sum game, diversity enriches as it expands knowledge, innovation, and the mental agility to solve complex problems.”
“Leaders who don’t lead diverse lives can’t adequately build and lead diverse teams.”
“I’m betting on the good will of the majority to embrace diversity if for no other reason than we need to realize we are all ‘other’ in some way.”