Having logged more than 25 years in the workforce, I’ve come across almost every personality type, from every walk of life, and from about every country on the planet. As I’ve grown through my career, I’ve realized people are by far the most important aspect of the working environment and are without a doubt, the single most important asset in every company I’ve been privileged enough to work for. From morale inside the office to how we deliver to customers, the diversity of those people effects every facet of the business. Statistics show that diverse teams outperform non-diverse teams by 35%, and it’s critical that companies are deliberate about incorporating diversity initiatives into hiring practices, overall company strategy, and culture. The most common diversity practices are centered around gender, ethnicity, and age, but diversity extends beyond these categories.
When incorporating diversity into your organization, celebrating differences is a great place to start. I’ve worked for large and small companies, and I am currently with a “re-startup” with only 40 employees. This “re-startup” represents nine different countries from around the globe including England, Scotland, India, Egypt, South Africa, China, Jamaica, and the United States. Literally, more than 50% of our employees are from outside of the United States. Since the team is so ethnically diverse, we have weekly team lunches every Friday that features a different ethnic cuisine from a country of each employee. Each week, one employee gets to provide their local favorite fare to the group. While it seems small, food unites and is an important part of everyone’s culture. Having a new type of food each Friday has proven to be a great way to celebrate how diverse we are as company while also learning about each other and our country’s cultures.
Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought, and it must be intentional. Most of us learn differently, so why box-in employees with stale “old school” working spaces? Offer a variety of options: work from home or in a co-working space, use stand-up desks, and offer professional and personal development programs. Encouraging diverse learning styles and supporting the culture of your people and how they learn.
Here’s the net of all this stuff: put yourself in a position to give more than you take. A diverse, strong, and supportive culture should extend its reach outside the company’s walls and into your community. Large and small companies can still operate with big hearts in a way to help organize ideas and actions that change lives around the globe and inspire generosity and service. Find a way to be that agent for change
It’s a proven fact that diversity breeds innovation, improves performance, and inspires creativity both personally and professionally. What are you doing to implement it?