Episode 91 - Smart POV: Your Diversity Perspective
When it comes to diversity, it’s smart to keep in mind diversity is not just about people’s culture. If you have brothers and sisters, then you know the people who grew up in the same house are diverse. Each is unique. They shared the same environment but different experiences. Now they each have different perspectives on what is happening. On your work team in the office and your family team at home, it’s smart to anticipate that at crucial times your teammates will see things differently than you. And that’s not right or wrong – it’s just different.
Here’s one of my favorite stories about diverse thinking.
A six year old’s mom fretted about taking her son to his grandmother’s wake because she didn’t want this to create a traumatic memory. To prepare him, on the way to the funeral parlor they had a long talk about death as a natural part of the process of life and nothing to be feared. Holding his small hand, they slowly approached the open casket. She knelt to pray. He stood and peered into the coffin silently processing this new scene. Solemnly he leaned toward his mother and whispered into her ear, “She sure is taking it well.”
Isn’t that a cute story? Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “People only see what they are prepared to see.” I say it’s smart to keep in mind that different perspectives keep us diverse, too.