The 'Chemistry of Difference'? - a new Paradigm Shift for Diversity.

Are your leaders and teams making errors of judgment about people who are not like them?

Do both men and women in your organisation understand the strengths of their own styles and appreciate the value that those who are different to them bring? 

We know that diversity has the biggest impact on business performance – not just gender and race but diversity of thought and behaviour. Being equal does not mean being the same.

Inclusion programmes may not always focus on the specifics of understanding how differences show themselves in everyday situations. Nor do they build awareness about the value these differences bring rather they focus us on our biases which can cause defensiveness rather than understanding.  

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

Audre Lorde

The old style of ‘one type’ of leader or employee is insufficient in today’s competitive, fast-changing and uncertain world: neuroscience also shows us that lack of inclusion can trigger psychological threat response and a stress response resulting in people not performing at their best. Consequently, we miss out on the enormous talents and potential of people from diverse backgrounds, ethnicity and cultures.

Metaphorically speaking, I have compared differences in the way people think and behave with chemistry. Just as chemistry includes different elements, the human mind contains diverse characteristics that react differently when they come into contact with other characteristics, just like elements do.

Now is the time to educate men and women on the complementary strengths they bring. Indeed, there has never been a better time to embrace a large range of different perspectives, traits and ways of leading and working to give you the necessary innovation, agility and competitive edge to move forward.

Crucially it’s not that one approach is inherently better which brings new insights to differences in the way people lead and work and how they complement each other to achieve success in today’s business environment.

Strengths in difference, a new Paradigm shift for diversity.

I have developed a masterclass inspired by my belief that crucially it’s not that one approach is inherently better. It brings new insights to differences in the way people lead and work and how they complement each other to achieve success in today’s business environment. The masterclass includes a proprietary model, the Chemistry of Difference model ? – outlining 10 ELEMENTS OF DIFFERENCE. It is based on evidence-based research and hundreds of stories recounting the experience of women and men in the organisational context.

This insightful webinar provides global, evidence-based research focusing on increasing awareness and understanding of how people think and behave differently in the areas we know are important for success. Area such as: solving problems, making decisions and assessing risks, leading, engaging and communicating with others, building relationships, negotiating, processing information, communicating with and leading others; and managing conflict and stress. Importantly, the webinar also explores the typical challenges people face depending on their patterns of thinking and behaving as they become more senior and how they can realistically and authentically increase their chance of success and fulfilment.

Why this matters

We all know that that it’s harder to work with people who are different to us, and this is also confirmed by a wide range of research. 

Some of these differences are impacted by gender; others are not. Importantly, many of the differences are related to how we go about our work rather than specific traits, including: how we process information, different styles of communicating with and leading others; solving problems, assessing risks and making decisions; managing conflict and stress.

We need to embrace the different ways people approach business situations to fully benefit from the collective and individual strengths that people bring. Successful organisations in the future will need a healthy blend of different but complementary ways of thinking and behaving.

What benefits can I expect?

A fresh perspective on the value of diversity and the role it plays in shaping successful organisations.

The webinar increases participants’ awareness of their own thinking and behaviours; those that are empowering and those that are limiting them and raises appreciation of their colleagues styles where absence of this insight may have impacted negatively on their relationships. It includes approaches and coaching tips to enable participants to feel more connected to who they are, how they see themselves as a leader and how to leverage their unique combination of strengths to differentiate themselves. Given the new insights, participants are able to experiment with a repertoire of styles to achieve their ambitions with authenticity.

You will benefit from deeper awareness of why diversity matters and how differences can add value in a business context, leading to keener decision-making and heightened engagement across the organisation. On a personal level, this programme can boost tolerance, acceptance and understanding which will lead to richer relationships.

The components of this programme include:

1. Why we need to embrace difference and have diversity of thought and behaviour
2. Your view of the world is shaped by the life you have lived and your life story
3. Debunking the harmful sex differences myth
4. Different way of leading in the 21st-century
5. Communication and engagement styles
6. Approaches to negotiation and collaboration
7. Different perceptions of risk assessment and decision making
8. Managing conflict and conflict resolution strategies

To embed new thinking about diversity, get in touch with our team today. Email [email protected] to arrange an exploratory call.