Diversity, Defined
This blog is the second in a series on DEI. Read the introductory blog on DEI here.
Let's unpack the term "diversity" because it may connote different things to different people. The definition for a human organizational context is quite simple:
Diversity refers to the range of human differences.
Any and all human differences, that is. These differences can be identity-related, like race, socioeconomic status, or religion, or be demographic, like age and location. They can also be opinion-based, which may or may not stem from an aforementioned difference.
Underneath it all, there is diversity of thought and diversity of lived experience.
I've written before on ways to harness the diversity in the room.
We have to be honest and acknowledge there is an inherent tribal nature in humans to seek out like-minded folks. It takes a certain level of emotional intelligence to seek out connection with someone who seems different. The key is finding a way to relate. Our humanity connects us, so there is always a way to relate.
At a recent workshop, I shared two personal stories to illustrate diversity.
The first is about a difference in socioeconomic status. Not even status, really, but perhaps education and exposed life experience. (This stuff is so complex!). When I was in about fourth or fifth grade, for Christmas, my parents got my sister and me cross country skis. When we saw our cousins later that day, we found out that they had gotten BB Guns and Nintendo sets. We felt so uncool. And just different. My dad, having been raised middle class, was exposed to cross country skiing, something my mom's side of the family had never tried.
The second story is about an African American friend of mine who educated me on his lived experience. He and his family were at our house and we were just shooting the breeze. Somehow we got on the topic of shopping at Target and bags at stores. Given my strong value for sustainability, I bragged about how, if I forget to bring my reusable bags, I just carry the stuff out in my hands. I explained that the inconvenience and annoyance of doing that was part of my strategy to remember my bags next time.
"Oh, I won't be carrying any items out of the store in my hands." He said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Ohhhhhhh." I said as it dawned on me how, given his lived experience, that kind of action, no matter how 'sustainable,' wasn't worth the risk of being stopped and accused of stealing. And here I was thinking, I dare them to accuse me of stealing.
In that moment, I was able to momentarily imagine someone else's lived experience even as it varied from my own, and then understand why their value system in this micro-example was different. It has helped me understand and appreciate the fact that lived experiences can be fundamentally different.
These are just two examples of ways that diversity – human difference – showed up for me, one in my own lived experience and one that brought someone else’s different experience into my awareness. When in your life have you felt different from the norm, or your view didn’t match the dominant viewpoint in the room? We all have examples. The work here as individuals and leaders is to believe and accept each other's lived experiences that are different from our own.
