Differences - Energizing or Embarrassing?

Our society has a long way to go on vulnerability.

With all respect for the work of brilliant minds out there sharing just how crucial vulnerability is for our species (and by extension our businesses), we still have that innate tendency to deflect, hedge our comments, or generally be uncomfortable being "different" - even though we are ALL different in some way. Yes, even the most mainstream among us.

I had a conversation very recently in which an icebreaker question was about favourite flavours of ice cream. Seems innocuous enough, right?

Aside from the weirdness of having to pick just one #equalopportunityicecream, y'all!) there was a comment about somebody else feeling like less of an outlier for their answer after I shared one of my recent delightful discoveries, mango habanero ice cream (yum. seriously. Thanks, Dad!).

What I found in that moment was a bit of an epiphany for me. It seems so trivial, but underlying that experience, maybe even so deep we don't realize it, is an expectation of, "If I say something too weird, people will judge me. And if they judge me, that could be bad for me somehow."

And that's actually not WRONG. For all the conversations about DE&I, vulnerability, authenticity, and so on, we're still very much the product of millennia of evolutionary selection, and being "a weirdo" can really be damaging. MAYBE you can capitalize, monopolize, or monetize your weirdness to great success - or maybe you'll get relegated to never getting a real job, or even worse. And we KNOW, instinctively, that the odds of the latter far outweigh the former.

So how can we intentionally create spaces where being different is truly an asset?

For me, it starts with creating communities where we celebrate those differences. I'm fortunate enough to belong to a couple of communities where those nuances are not just appreciated, they're actively cultivated, examined for synergy or additional opportunities for others to explore, and generally seen as a really great piece of the human puzzle.

Those communities can, and really need to, exist in the workplace as well as our personal and social spaces. If we're serious about innovation (and if we're not, we're in trouble), we've got to get comfortable with the uncomfortable reality that we're all weird, in some way, and that, managed well, that weirdness is a HUGE asset. Rather than be embarrassed by our unique qualities, how can we use them to energize us, and those around us? It might take a little work, but when we learn to do so, we find it's not only possible, it's transformational!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to see what else I can do with this ice cream maker. ;) I have some ideas... I'd love to hear yours!