We have a hard time meshing sometimes, don’t we? Us people, I mean. It can be hard to get along with others, let alone connect with them.
This is because we see others through our own filters that have been made from our individual experiences, education and thoughts. So it’s really hard to connect with others because they have a totally different set of experiences, education and thoughts that create totally different individual filters for them.
Diversity can be really hard. We know it can be hard from seeing conflicts in our personal relationships, in business or even on the international level. The greatest conflicts occur when we are unwilling or unable to see that others have a different life filters. But when we acknowledge that others have different filters and ask them how they’ve arrived at their views, we get to know them better. And through that we learn a most valuable lesson: Diversity is straight-up awesome.
When we only keep to ourselves, we limit our learning and growth to our own life. But when we have relationships with others, we learn from them and expand our growth. And we all want to learn and grow along with each other, right?
But there’s more to diversity than that. We can’t just see each other as objects to use for our growth. Because we’re not objects, we’re people – rich, full-bodied humans. And so, here’s the greatest reward of diversity – we get to know more people. The more diverse our lives are, the more people we get to know and care for. How awesome is that?
But the question remains, how can we engage with other people well, even with all of our differences? The keys are love and humility. When we know that people have different filters than us, we are naturally more humble. When we humbly ask what has led them to a view, we naturally care and love them more. This is where healthy diversity in a business starts – in us, in our perspectives and our relationships. We set the tone.
Diversity can be hard, but if we sow love and humility in our relationships, then diversity is amazingly rewarding.
Cover image info: Original, royalty-free image from Pixabay.
About the author: Lindsey Tolino comes alongside artisans, craftsman and people monetizing their passions to help them create healthy businesses. She shares tips and thoughts at ToBusinessOwners.com. Follow her on Twitter @LindseyTolino.
