Diversity | Part 1: Why?

Hard to believe that I've been in Technology Sales & Leadership for over 20 years. These days I find myself compelled to give back and share the things I've learned over the span of my career. I don't claim to be an expert or anything close to a guru, but I am on a quest for mastery as a leader and a human being. I may have some nuggets you'll find interesting; Perhaps you'd have a few nuggets to offer in return? If so, please do...

Today's topic: Diversity | Part 1: Why?

Recent discussions have me questioning my point of view on diversity and gender equality. In my reflection I’ve challenged myself to break down the issue to its lowest denominator as a way of examining the problem.

Ask yourself this:

What is your definition of: Good? Bad? Pretty? Ugly? How do you define right or wrong?

Now... Ask yourself, how do your definitions of these concepts compare to someone else?

How would they compare to mine?

What if our point of views (or values) were in total opposition? What if what you think is bad, I think is good? What you think is wrong, I think is right?

You might say to yourself, "that should be ok... Marc's a decent guy... We can all live in harmony", right? So long as I respect you and you respect me, we should be fine... Right?

Well, what if...

What if, I was the one making all of the decisions? Worst, what if I was the one making all your most important decisions for you? What if I decided what was good for you, bad for you, right or wrong for you? How often would you get what you want? How often would you get what you need?

Rhetorically, wouldn't you want to get a say in shaping your destiny?

To push the thought further, what if I was your police officer? Your school teacher? Your doctor or your nurse? What if I were your potential employer? Your judge or your jury?

What would life be like for you in such a scenario? How would you thrive?

After a while, wouldn’t you want to get your say? Wouldn’t you want someone that thinks like you to challenge my decision criteria so that you too may get what you want or need?

To achieve that you would need to either become my peer (meaning, to be in a position of influence like any of the examples mentioned before) or you would need someone that believes in the sames things you do to become my peer. You would need someone with common ideals, values and priorities to represent you. In such a scenario any of us would want things to be different and we would seek "change".

That change is called diversity.

Diversity: the art of thinking independently together - Anonymous

Marc Mondesir