Comments for Leveraging Difference

Comment on UVa Facilities Management Leadership Forum by management

management — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 23:43:59 +0000

management…

[...]UVa Facilities Management Leadership Forum « Leveraging Difference[...]…

Comment on How ESPN Could Have Avoided the “LinSanity” Diversity Crisis by Martin

Martin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:45:48 +0000

Thanks, Jon! Yes the tendency to discount the systemic and overattribute to the individual is a huge barrier to problem-solving when it comes to difference. I wish we could put more attention toward creating generative systemic responses to bias and ignorance.

Comment on How ESPN Could Have Avoided the “LinSanity” Diversity Crisis by Jon @elements2lead

Jon @elements2lead — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:49:13 +0000

Beautiful post Martin. I love what you said about how so many organizations hone in on one person or bad apple when something like this happens. When in essence this was a system problem. The more appropriate response would be for them to reveal how they will prevent this from happening in the future by consulting people of different races or beginning to “leverage difference” as you put it in their organization. I really enjoy your writing. Thanks!

Comment on Five Myths That Doom Diversity Efforts by Mark Dixon

Mark Dixon — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:02:07 +0000

My pastor occasionally reminds us that you could (theoretically) tie a cat’s tail with a dog’s tail and that the result would be “togetherness” but not “unity.”

It seems that likewise, some of our assumptions about diversity would not stand up to the serious challenges of real life.

Comment on Five Myths That Doom Diversity Efforts by Roseanna DeMaria

Roseanna DeMaria — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:05:52 +0000

Bravo! I completely agree. Similarly because we truly do not understand how to leverage differences we have established an inventory of diversity best practices that have become the focus of many diversity programs as if they are the destination versus part of the journey. We have even created awards for firms doing these best practices well. So why are these award winners not enjoying the power of leveraging differences? Meeting the diversity challenge certainly requires the commitment demonstrated by these practices. However, to truly succeed in meeting the diversity challenge a firm must create, live, and breathe inclusion. Leveraging differences drives inclusion. Inclusion must be part of the DNA of the culture. This requires leaders who lead, think, create, and value inclusion as part of their execution model. This kind of cultural DNA cannot be bought off a training shelf nor is it a project to be managed. Inclusion is not simply something one does. That is diversity compliance. Inclusion is something one lives.

Comment on How I Learned To Be Black (Part I) by Noah

Noah — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:53:15 +0000

Thanks for this piece. I find it sincere, thought-provoking and courageous. Your post acknowledge the obvious reality of discrimination and racism, and it also recognized that we can “project” onto a situation. It rings true for me for my own pains and fears in general (like the one of being rejected or wrongly accused). Sometimes they are what is happening in the situation, and sometimes it is “only” my interpretation – and often it is a bit of both. However your description shows the even higher complexity in sorting these moments when they relate to being black, or in general to being part of an historically oppressed group. I found for myself that it hits such a strong nerve in me, that I can’t really trust my reactive judgment at that moment. That I need a lot of thoughtful support to dissect the situation…

Comment on Black Russians by Martin Davidson

Martin Davidson — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:40:37 +0000

Re: real black Russians? In the five days I was there, I never saw any black person of African descent, although I did meet one white African. I was only in Moscow for a short time (and people were bundled up, of course). And, it’s possible I wasn’t looking in the right places to see a black community. What was really interesting was to be there during this time of ethnic tension that erupted in what the newspapers called “race riots.” It was all about ethnic conflict between fair-skinned Slavic Russians (the “real Russians” as the racist slogans went) and people from the Caucusus region, Caucasians (ironically called “blacks” or “blackasses”) whose skin color is more swarthy (like southern Europeans). This was a racial story that obviously has intensity, but is not linked to Russians of African descent (though color was clearly relevant). Really fascinating.

Comment on Why Everyone Needs to be a Token by Norm Roulet

Norm Roulet — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:36:32 +0000

Hi Martin – love your writing. A few quick thoughts from a flip side you know well, where I live now… East Cleveland. I believe my family represents 5 of 36 whites in a 98+% black census tract – we sometimes have felt a bit different but not isolated… we are just new parts of a very old, established community – we are well received for the most part. Turns out we find mutual value among stranger-neighbors who have nearly opposite localized and global life experiences to either my wife or myself, and many of my best friends are black and from the immediate area, and I get along with pretty much everyone. I believe we find value in each other’s authentic individuality – as you say – and our unique life experiences help us see the world from important other dimensions… advice I have received about staying safe around here is actually important for my survival… my neighbors know life on THESE streets far better than do I.

I bring in survival perspectives like we must eradicate lead poisoning – we must shut down the coal plant and stop a new one in University Circle – and I bring the knowledge we can fight the system I know far better than they do.

And I think some of our neighbors are thinking it may be nice to have a chicken coop and fresh eggs each morning like the crazy white family with the huge garden, gravel driveway, wood-burner, five mastiffs and two wild boys playing over on Roxbury.

We’re the token Green people in EC, so far….

Comment on Why Everyone Needs to be a Token by Holden Lee

Holden Lee — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:46:32 +0000

it is human nature to associate with others and join groups that organize on similarities, but if one reflects deeply enough, one can find uniqueness across multiple criteria that would allow tokenism to occur in any individual – hometown, college major, fanaticism for an obscure sport, unusual hobby, etc.

as a korean-american, the hyphenated identity allows all sort of interesting variations versus the other. asians consider me american; non-asians consider me asian. even within the asian-american community, i’m of the korean-american segment. within the korean-american segment, i’m the 1.5 generation, fluent and assimilated within american life, differentiated between the complete 2nd generation who speaks no korean and the college/post-grad import.

but race and visual identity is easy. as an assimilated korean-american, it is more interesting to discuss tokenism across other variables.

Comment on Why Everyone Needs to be a Token by LeeAnn Mallorie

LeeAnn Mallorie — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 14:11:42 +0000

Thanks for this post Martin. I came across your blog about a month ago, as I am working on getting my own self online… Really love what you write. It makes me think. This post in particular gives me strength and a relieving different perspective on being an American woman in the UK. Hope we’ll see you around Sausalito again sometime soon.
Warmly,
LeeAnn