A clear Hershey walk GOOD MORNING!!! to you all! Great night of jitsu last night. Yup! The mat is open!
Today’s bit o trivia: Synesthesia. Say that three times fast. This is the brain condition where you stimulate one of the senses (hearing, feeling, smell, etc.) and it will automatically stimulate another. It is said that creative thinking people have this going on. I think everyone has it. Or at least CAN have it. It’s like when you hear a song and, for whatever reason, you see the sound as a color. Or, better yet, when you see a blue popsicle, you immediately think of blueberry type flavor hence, see and taste color. We humans are weird.
Anyway…
Think About it Thursday Ed-vise today
I attended a Diversity and Inclusion event yesterday. Company sponsored and it seemed well attended. It did bring up some good conversations as well.
One thing heard in these events is the word “Inclusion.” Duh, it’s called Diversity and Inclusion!
What I miss (more often than not) is the definition of “Inclusion.” Diversity, I get. Diversity is about bringing in people and ideas that are different than your own. It’s about variety. In the workspace, it actually proves a good thing. More people, different ideas. Collective mind working on solving problems. I like it.
Inclusion, though, escapes me. Like a vaporous cloud, I can see it, yet it is vague. That does not mean I don’t have my own ideas of what “Inclusion” means. I found it easier to use examples.
Picture yourself in your childhood. First day at new school. You see a group of kids playing together. They wave you over and you join in whatever game they are playing. You’re part of the group. That’s an example of inclusivity. Everyone getting along, playing the game and having a good time. Some things really don’t need a definition.
What I have noticed, in my lifetime, is this: the greater the stress of the situation, the quicker inclusivity occurs. The safer the parties of the group or individual are, the longer it takes for inclusivity to occur.
Don’t believe me?
When you watch the news and see a disaster of any sort, what do you observe? You see all the people working together, to fix the problem. Survivors digging side by side with total strangers toward a common goal of finding someone. Strangers side by side forming a chain for sandbags for a flood.
Now, first day on the new job. No disaster or emergency. When you first sit down, do you feel included or do you feel like a total stranger? If you are human, probably like a stranger so you engage whatever defense mechanisms. Same with the non-new employees. That newbie comes on board and what do you do? You already have that stereotype of Newbie or Rookie going on. Sure, you do the “check the box” stuff like shake hands and introduce yourself, but it will be a few days or weeks before you are comfortable telling this person the inside secrets of the organization. A bit of something to think about. I’m just saying
That’s it for today. Take care of yourselves. Check in on each other and remember the only rules we need are the rules we learned in kindergarten.
Peace
Ed-vise 