What if? Network for Diversity and Inclusion
An open mind is a terrible thing to close.
The Diversity of History
What do you most remember from your high school history classes?
Alright, besides the pretty girl whom you tried to sit next to, what do you remember of the history?
George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Genghis Khan.
Caesar Augustus, Florence Nightingale, Rameses II.
Do those names ring a bell?
When we learn history, we learn about individuals. We learn that singular men and women were responsible for the sort of leadership that deserves commemorating.
See, when we're taught the grand history of man, our teachers pointed to the peaks of humanity, its rulers, philosophers, and conquerors.
But can history be summarized aptly in one man's title?
Can an entire era be abbreviated to the name of its government?
When you focus on the leaders of a nation, you miss out on a very important factor.
Everyone else.
As soon as you look beyond the brevity of the single leaders' lives and explore the composition of everyone else, you find an astounding diversity.
The history of man isn't summed up in its top four Caesars or its top ten philosophers.
The history of man is a thriving accumulation of vastly different perspectives, ideals, and experiences.
In the business world, we've seen the shortcomings of focusing on star executives and the limitations of depending on single source of creativity.
The next step is to move towards a greater inclusion of people from across all ages, genders,and backgrounds.
These people are the ones making history.
How is your organization structured? Is their a diversity that results in more complete ideas?
Is your organization focused around a central unit or figure?
Is your thinking centered on a singular person rather than a comprehensive result?
Alright, besides the pretty girl whom you tried to sit next to, what do you remember of the history?
George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Genghis Khan.
Caesar Augustus, Florence Nightingale, Rameses II.
Do those names ring a bell?
When we learn history, we learn about individuals. We learn that singular men and women were responsible for the sort of leadership that deserves commemorating.
See, when we're taught the grand history of man, our teachers pointed to the peaks of humanity, its rulers, philosophers, and conquerors.
But can history be summarized aptly in one man's title?
Can an entire era be abbreviated to the name of its government?
When you focus on the leaders of a nation, you miss out on a very important factor.
Everyone else.
As soon as you look beyond the brevity of the single leaders' lives and explore the composition of everyone else, you find an astounding diversity.
The history of man isn't summed up in its top four Caesars or its top ten philosophers.
The history of man is a thriving accumulation of vastly different perspectives, ideals, and experiences.
In the business world, we've seen the shortcomings of focusing on star executives and the limitations of depending on single source of creativity.
The next step is to move towards a greater inclusion of people from across all ages, genders,and backgrounds.
These people are the ones making history.
How is your organization structured? Is their a diversity that results in more complete ideas?
Is your organization focused around a central unit or figure?
Is your thinking centered on a singular person rather than a comprehensive result?
Comment
About
The What if? Network, launched by Dr. Steve L. Robbins, is the premier online community for issues of diversity and inclusion. Join now!
Forum
© 2010 Created by Steve L. Robbins, Ph.D. on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
You need to be a member of What if? Network for Diversity and Inclusion to add comments!
Join What if? Network for Diversity and Inclusion