8 Tips: How to Increase Your Knowledge on Diversity and Inclusivity
8 Tips: How to Increase Your Knowledge on Diversity and Inclusivity
In your life and in your career
Growing your knowledge of different cultures, religions, genders, races, and ethnicities will not only enhance your career but also improve the world around you. Whether you're running a school store vending machine, preparing for a career in business, or launching your own venture after graduation, understanding diversity and inclusion will help you build stronger relationships, create a welcoming environment, and make better business decisions.
“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” ― Maya Angelou
Educate yourself
a. Read books and articles educating yourself on other cultures, races, religions, genders, etc. to educate yourself on those who are unlike yourself.
b. Watch movies and shows that depict lives and experiences that are different from yours.
c. Listen to podcasts, interviews, and to the voices of people who share different views than you.
Listen to those who are unlike you
Listening is more than just hearing. You may hear what someone is saying but did you process what they said and try to put yourself in their shoes to understand their perspective? Empathy is a crucial skill for success in business and leadership.
If you're part of a career-connected learning program or project-based learning initiative like managing a school store vending machine, learning to listen and engage with different perspectives will help you serve your school community better.
Attend diversity and inclusion trainings
Does your work or your school do any sort of diversity and inclusion training? If not, ask your administration or your teacher if this is something that can be done. In school, this is the time where we are learning about new topics and meeting people different than us, maybe for the first time.
If this isn’t something your school can put on, look online and ask if a teacher could show a free training to your class or watch one in your own time. View a variety of inclusion trainings at the link above.
Make a stronger effort to surround yourself with people unlike you
You can’t grow if you only surround yourself with people who look and think like you. It is important for your own personal growth to surround yourself with people who can bring a different perspective to the table. Next time you are at school, pay attention to who is in your circle and who you may be leaving out.
Support Minorities in Business
Looking for fundraising ideas for schools? Partner with minority-owned businesses to source products for your school store vending machine. Supporting local entrepreneurs fosters diversity and strengthens your community.
If someone in your life or in your workplace says something that is not inclusive, what do you do?
To create a culture of inclusiveness, it is important to ask the hard questions. Ask them why they said the statement they did. A conversation like this can be done respectfully and should be entered with the intention to listen and educate.
Address your own Implicit Biases and hold yourself accountable
Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino explained: “That our decisions get sidetracked by biases is now well established. While it is hard to change how our brains are wired, it’s possible to change the context of decisions by architecting the composition of decision-making teams for more diverse perspectives.” (Forbes, 2019)
You can’t help your upbringing or fault yourself for the implicit biases that has been ingrained in us by society, but you can educate yourself and change the conversation within yourself to result in inclusivity.
Treat others the way they want to be treated
The golden rule was always “treat others the way you want to be treated” but it is more important to treat others the way they want to be treated. Respecting someone else’s culture is more than how you want to be treated.
A study shows, creating an inclusive environment as well as a diverse environment will result your business to:
• Inclusive teams make better business decisions up to 87% of the time.
• Teams that follow an inclusive process make decisions twice as fast with half the meetings.
• Decisions made and executed by diverse teams delivered 60% better results.
Conclusion
Inclusiveness starts inwardly. It is important to hold ourselves accountable for how we treat others unlike ourselves. A great place to start is to do your research. Read, watch, and listen to voices that are different from you. The more exposed and educated you are, the more inclusive you will become. You will not only welcome diversity but encourage it. Wondering where to get started? Here are 10 books that will help you foster a more diverse and inclusive lifestyle.