It don’t matter if you’re black or white

Tips to create an inclusive organization without a budget

Working in a global economy, with increasing numbers of people migrating to different countries and with more individuals feeling empowered to celebrate their diversity, we’ve become very connected with all types of people in our daily lives. Although organizations are reaching their diversity quota, do they know how to create an inclusive environment and retain that diversity? Should the newbie integrate in the current culture or would it be wiser to give them a stage to broadcast a different perspective? 

We, Belinda and Wing, believe that inclusion is not about radically changing your business. It is about making one feel genuinely welcome in a group. Whether it is on ethnicity, gender or personality, we often might not understand each other’s languages. But we know very well how to act with or sense hostile behavior. Feeling excluded can damage our self esteem, our performance and unfortunately, prevents us from unlocking the creativity that diversity brings to the table. 

With this blog, we give you three simple tips to help you embrace the diversity in your company, all without opening your wallet. 

1. Tick your boxes to get out

We all have prejudices of people, judge and put them in our mental boxes. This is OK, it is how we make sense of the world. Don’t fight it. Because once you acknowledge that you judge and you’re put in a box too, you can start analyzing if these biases trigger you to act differently. By taking a second to observe which boxes one ticks for you, you can consciously correct and neutralize these judgments. But what is neutral?

2. Think of poop and shut up

We may look and act differently, we humans are all one of the same species. Bluntly put, we all eat, need love and poop. Instead of posing your ideas or discomfort in a conversation, the simplest way to treat the other as an equal is by asking genuine questions. Resist the urge to give your opinion, just let the other talk and listen carefully. By inviting the other to speak up, you give them an opportunity to pleasantly surprise you. Will this change your prejudices of someone?

3. Turn black into technicolor

Changing our thinking pattern, which is built-in based on an entire lifetime of experiences, takes a lot of energy and time we usually don’t have. Fortunately, our primal ancestors have trained us to be curious. By asking yourself “what can I learn?” you change your view on someone from neutral to “how wonderful to meet a person with such a refreshing/similar take on life!”. 

Remember how some simple words from a stranger, such as “life is too short”, have made you see or do things radically different? By taking the time to listen, even if it’s just for a minute, you don’t only show respect by turning a nobody into a somebody. But a different perspective from a person unlike you might lead to new life changing ideas! From the CEO to cleaners, they all are individuals with a unique story waiting to be invited to learn from. Knowing this, wouldn’t you invite everyone to the table?

Having met each other at an inspiring event of their mutual collaborator Skyscrapers, Belinda Bantje (Diversity & Inclusion expert) and Wing Yan Man (Founder of 3310 - School for Millennials) decided to help organizations on their road to inclusion with the workshop “Gotta Catch ‘Em All - How to create a happy family at work and thrive with diversity”. For more information visit www.3310.school/gcea or email to hello@3310.school.