Inclusion Means Everybody

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As a young kid I hated going to church.

The only thing I enjoyed about it was sitting chatting with Jimmy, Maisie, Molly, and Harry. They had an average age of around 75.

I learned about life before TV, during the war, what rationing was like, how they saw the world.

The value in church for me was in a diverse community. A "stock of wisdom" drawn from people of different ages, races, economic backgrounds, political leanings, and even supporters of different football teams (In 1980’s Scotland seeing supporters of Rangers, Celtic, Raith, and even the one weird Dundee United supporter sitting together peacefully was no small thing.)

Of course, this is not something seen often in society anymore. As religion is declining the gap is filled with other narrower communities without the diversity that we used to see in churches.

As Juliet Samuel?recently put it in?The Times . There is no “shared stock of wisdom” in times of crisis, only “the Google search box waiting for your plaintive question”. In fact, technology is a big part of the problem. As the French anthropologist Marc Augé said: “The television and the computer have replaced the hearth.” And where old religions have faded, new quasi-religions have filled the void: Religious devotion to environmentalism; the increased tribalism of politics; the rise of conspiracy theories, super-fandom, and health fads that are often filled with anti-science misinformation that is religiously held as “truth” – evidence be damned.

Even in churches we can now select a local church where everyone else looks like and thinks like us – reinforcing the same misconceptions and bad ideas.

Where is the collective human strength found in that stock of wisdom?

Could it be in the workplace?

I have written recently about the current research on psychological trauma and crippling depression found in nursing homes where we segregate in an age-based apartheid rather than helping people live in an integrated and diverse community.

But what does this do in the workplace. How does it impact effectiveness and employee morale when we live in yet another bubble of our own making?

The value of the knowledge base of frontline staff is a constant topic . That frontline worker who works the night shift on Sundays knows about problems that you don’t know exist yet. And often they have had years to think about solutions. Not tapping into that knowledge is insanity.

But what about within the board room or executive team?

If everyone comes from the same place with the same ideas – what are we missing? What do we not know that we don’t know?

I recall years ago a nursing home that was failing.

The executive team could not figure out why. They had put millions into renovation, hired some top shelf talent, staffed it well, and given it more attention and resources than any other home – but no one wanted to move in.

The name was “Salado Creek”. After several leaders had given up and left, they finally hired Jorge. Jorge’s first move?

He changed the name.

Salado Creek literally translated was salty creek. But in the slang used in the prevailing population in the town – it meant bad luck or jinxed. Not one of the homogenous executive team had any idea. Within months the beds were filled and the home was a success.

In the current job market with so many applicants for so few executive jobs it is very much in vogue to talk about hiring for “fit”. With dozens of applicants not differentiated by skill set or experience we look for fit. We look for people who “fit in” with the culture. People who speak our language (literally and figuratively).

People like us.

It is a poor culture that lacks the “shared stock of wisdom” that is only derived from a wide array of backgrounds. Instead of looking for more of what you already have – look for what you are missing. Assuming they have the skills and share a passion for your mission – What perspectives do you lack?

Do you have people under 30 and over 55 in your executive suite?

How many genders are represented?

Races? Nationalities? Disabilities? Neurodiversity? People from different industries or from different economic backgrounds?

This is not about checking boxes for token members of a set number of groups to satisfy some Diversity, Equity, and inclusion mandate.

This is about understanding that if everyone in your executive team looks, sounds, acts, and thinks like you – you are missing out on key knowledge and insight. You have a team nodding along without challenging you on problems you don’t know exist or giving you solutions that you would never have thought of. It isn’t good for your business. It isn’t good for your team’s mental health. It isn’t good for society.

Work can be and should be the last bastion of shared community. The widest possible stock of wisdom that can tackle any problem.

Inclusion means everyone. Even a Dundee United supporter.

#culture #leadership #operations #nha #seniorcare #IDD #inclusion #diversity #equity #DE&I

?? I am Dave

??Building financially sustainable cultures to care for

vulnerable populations

??Developing leaders to work with seniors and people

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