Apples & Oranges

The discussion on Diversity & Inclusion has always been real & pertinent but in recent times,it has gathered a hitherto unprecedented momentum & rightfully so.While cliques have always existed in social & professional spheres & we have all experienced in-group or out-group behaviors at one time or another in our lives, we are now observing the tragedy marginalization can result in, both internationally & in our own country.We can ill afford such evils to perpetuate when frailty of life itself is staring us in the face given a worldwide pandemic.The collective consciousness has been called into inquiry & it is time to get our homes in order & set the matter upright.While we save lives, how do we make them worth living as well?

In a ray of hope, eminent industry leaders have renewed their commitment to the cause & are now intent on elevating the focus & energy on making the workspace more balanced & inclusive. As the informal power structures of Old Boys Clubs' melt away, it is refreshing to note that most firms now think beyond representation & are not limited to Noah's ark approach of getting in a few of every kind.The era of poster-children for diversity is long over, we are now trying to create an environment free of subtle advantages & disadvantages by factoring in inclusion, role modeling, positions of significance & opportunity for impact.

More companies in India & Asia are now self evaluating themselves on their unconscious biases & taking remedial action.We are building capability of our leaders to become inclusive managers, the greatest business case is that at the bare minimum,our leadership mix must equate our customer mix in multilingual, multicultural, multi-stylistic & cognitive diversity.However, for water to seep into the rocks, unless we are inclusive at a personal level, there can be no inclusion at a firm or industry level.All of us are guilty, albeit inadvertently, of many a time being oblivious to the quieter colleague or not getting a coffee with the one who shops his wardrobe from a different store or not sharing lunch with the one who's accent or age is vastly different from ours. How often do we intentionally wish folks' birthdays or find opportunities to recognize & celebrate those that are not our usual type?

Heterogeneity makes us strong says DNA science but if we are not ready to individually step a little outside our comfort zone, there can be no real strength & we do need to be stronger today than at any other time. Life, success, achievement & a better future are common goals for humanity at large & more unites than divides us.Its not about apples & oranges anymore, its about saving this year's harvest & the land for times to come.

A community that values Inclusiveness should answer "Yes" to the question, "When they look at us,can they find themselves?" - Range, David Epstein