Reinventing Diversity is a Good Thing

There are over seven billion people on this planet right now, with the population expected to keep increasing. Each of those people has his own history, her own perspective.

Not one of them is exactly like you.

It is easy, even good, to think, “I like this. I am comfortable with that.” But you know your “this” and “that” aren’t everyone’s.

None of this is news. We’ve been taught this since childhood.

But look around your office. If everyone has similar opinions, no one is thinking differently. If everyone has the same background, you might be missing the perspective of potential clients.

I’m not just talking about race, although this Black History Month we should definitely celebrate that type of diversity in our workplaces.  Everything from hometowns to hobbies makes us unique, and informs our opinions, values, and budgets. Where I spend the dollar in my pocket, where you spend yours, and where an unknown customer spends hers are likely to be different places – and that’s good.

But if you spend all day, every day surround by people who are a lot like you, you’re not very likely going to know about those different places, or the people spending their dollars there.

And the more varied perspectives you have in the room, the more innovative ideas you can develop. The person across the table who is nothing like you is probably coming up with ideas that are nothing like yours, and between the two of you, you can devise something the world has never seen.

And that’s just with two. Multiply that by the number of people in your workplace, and let the ideas fly!

Special thanks to guest-blogger Laura Grow-Nyberg.

Filed under: job creation, Michael S Robinson, minority-owned business, small business, women-owned business