Self-aware leaders frequently ask me how they can celebrate diversity in their organization. There’s no standardized formula, all it takes is some planning and goodwill. Try these ideas as you begin celebrating diversity in your workplace:
- Celebrate everyone. Don’t just focus on a certain group, pay attention to everyone in the workplace.
- Put diverse people in leadership positions. Nothing says that you care about diversity more than promoting diverse people to leadership positions.
- Set up an ongoing diversity discussion. You’ll show exceptional commitment to diversity if you have a program that allows people to regularly discuss how it affects them.
- Set an example. How you treat your employees and colleagues sets the tone for the organization.
- Include diversity in your values. Not only is is advisable to have a diversity policy but make it one of your core values as in, “We will value people from all backgrounds and experiences.”
Try these ideas and see how they affect your workplace. Companies that try these kind of approaches find that they create an atmosphere of greater trust and employees who feel valued. What will you do to develop self-awareness and celebrate diversity in your organization?
Cheers,
Guy