Today's Reading
These experiences shaped me but also made me a bit odd. I was a nerd initially living in the hood (a story for another day). Even though we faced initial financial hardship, my mom-e (as I affectionately call her) made sure we studied and took education very seriously. I would walk to and from elementary school ferociously reading the latest John Grisham and Stephen Covey books. Unfortunately, I also talked differently than my peers and was constantly called "white boy"! I quickly learned that I wasn't Black enough for the Black kids and I wasn't white enough for the white kids. This feeling of not fitting in permeated my adolescent growth all the way into college, where I was somewhat popular but never really in one group. I just didn't fit in.
It wasn't until I attended a diversity and inclusion session during an internship in Louisiana that it finally hit me why. Sitting in the middle of the U-shaped classroom, I quickly put my hands to my face to catch the overwhelming flood of tears that had drenched it. I concluded that I wasn't supposed to fit in, because I was meant to be a bridge between others. I would come to learn that this wasn't just about race but about many more complexities in life. The seeds of bridging the divide that my mother planted were beginning to sprout, and I was on a mission to help others become bridges, too!
This led me to start a company that is now called Work. Meaningful., and one area of our research is what we call the Inclusive Mindset. Over two decades of helping organizations and leaders create more inclusive cultures, I came to realize this book was necessary. In every Inclusive Mindset learning experience, I would explain that inclusion is not just about race, gender, and identity but that it impacts all of us and is about all of us! It isn't a kumbaya experience where we all hold hands and sing in unison with closed eyes U-N- I-T-Y (thanks, Queen Latifah). My next statements formed the basis of my future research and learning experiences: "Real inclusion is not that we will always agree, but will we still choose to respect each other when we disagree? We can vehemently disagree with someone's ideology and still passionately pursue their humanity!"
This has grown into an area of focus for our company as my colleagues and I have worked with Fortune 50 companies, universities, and youth to help them embody the Inclusive Mindset, experiences that led me to write The Inclusive Mindset: How to Cultivate Diversity in Your Everyday Life. This work is embodied in what we believe the world can be, and we are working toward that aim in what we call the Inclusive Mindset Vision. This vision comes from the desire to improve our humanhood and create a world that works for all (thanks, Berrett-Koehler). This vision is aspirational, and it's one that I challenge myself to grow in each and every day.
Can you envision this world with me?
THE INCLUSIVE MINDSET VISION
The world can be a place where...
* People are treated with value, dignity, and respect with full regard of what they look like, how they identify, and what they believe.
* People engage others every day with a sense of wonderment and curiosity.
* People disagree respectfully while honoring the perspectives of others.
* Everyone feels included, seen, and heard, and the voices of the marginalized are elevated and amplified.
* People stand up for others when they see injustice occurring and challenge systems that don't work for others.
* People don't have to be perfect and can receive grace as they learn from their mistakes.
* Diversity and inclusion are no longer an initiative but part of our everyday lives, and no longer a mandate but simply a mindset.
This is the world we believe in. This is what we believe the world can be.
This vision is important to this book because it points directly to the humanity of us all, and respectfully disagreeing is one way to enforce that humanity. In our efforts to create a kinder, more empathetic world, having an Inclusive Mindset is a great first step, which starts with being inspired (heart), being prepared (head), and being encouraged to act (hand).
...
