Don't miss out. Expand your diversity intelligence.
We tend (often without even knowing it) to regard diversity through the lens of the most obvious physical and superficial traits of those around us. For example, we categorize people by virtue of their age, gender, and race. This makes sense - after all, age, race and gender are traits you can see in the flesh. But these and other physical attributes like skin colour are only a small part of the diversity picture. There are many other characteristics that merit consideration. Behavioral psychologists and social scientists use “the Diversity Iceberg” to demonstrate this problem, where visible traits like race, gender and other physical attributes sit at the top above the waterline, while a larger portion of non-visible characteristics lurk below.
The Diversity Iceberg
As with many phenomena in your life, there’s much more to diversity than we typically think about. But just look at all the “below the waterline” attributes that can contribute real value to your team and your personal relationships.
The Diversity Iceberg is a marvellous tool to assist in improving our DI. “The analogy of an iceberg comes to mind in the face of these potentially endless dimensions; the obvious characteristics of race, ethnicity, gender, age, and disability relate to the small, visible portion of the iceberg and are the basis of much anti-discrimination legislation around the world” (Białostocka, 2010, p. 6). However, the less evident dimensions, such as ethnicity, religion, and politics, only show up as we develop relationships with people and with the passage of time. The key point of the iceberg is that the core of our identity is made up of the dimensions that exist below the surface. These buried qualities are critical to our individuality and provide the actual essence of diversity.
What is Diversity Intelligence?
Diversity intelligence is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual. The concept of DI encompasses acceptance and respect. It is the exploration of our differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. DI is a skill that we can improve, teach to others, and use to inspire.
By integrating staff from culturally diverse backgrounds into their workforce, organizations become much stronger, more agile. Diversity intelligent leaders ensure that diversity is an integral part of the business plan, essential to successful projects, programs, products and increased sales. This is especially true in today’s global marketplace, as organizations interact with different cultures and clients.
Leaders also use DI as a tool for establishing a respectful, welcoming workplace culture. If we all are open, accepting and embracing of each other, we inevitably become more tolerant, compassionate and patient. Relationships develop more deeply and quickly. Conflicts and misunderstandings are less frequent. Teams gel faster. People feel valued. Innovation and engagement increase.
Improving Your Diversity Intelligence
There are many tools and strategies that help leaders improve their DI to manage team relationships and move their engagement levels to drive performance. Among the most effective tools are adaptable communication practices, understanding our diversity “blind spots”, appreciating our comfort zones and developing an action plan to ensure we follow through.
1. Adaptable communication practices are a critical pillar of advanced DI. People from different backgrounds, cultures, countries, sexes, ages have different approaches to communication, motivation and idea creation – by expanding our awareness of diversity, we can create opportunity for people to feel empowered and thrive as both individuals and teams. By aligning our communication to their learning styles, preferred feedback approach, and sensitivities, we can, with the help of our co-workers, answer the call to Push Past Impossible.
Leaders with advanced diversity intelligence are more curious, embrace vulnerability, ask questions, actively seek help from others and encourage open dialogue. They learn about the people they work with so that they can adapt their approaches to ensure when they are communicating, they are understood, motivating and supportive.
2. Diversity “blind spots” can impede our progress. Uncovering our personal biases, prejudices and “diversity blind spots” is essential to improving diversity intelligence.
It is normal to analyze and categorize people so that we can determine where they “fit” in our world. Unfortunately, such categorization often involves making presumptions and quick judgments about people. For example, when we find out a person is from a particular ethnicity, we may assume they automatically like a particular kind of food or speak another language. This is what I call a “diversity blind spot.” A blind spot represents either a lack of diversity awareness, prejudice, or inaccurate preconceived notions about people. Blind spots inevitably lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. They also create biases in workplace practices and stifle creativity.
Acknowledging our blind spots improves our self-awareness, maturity and enhances diversity intelligence. It takes effort and character to see beyond our box and respectfully embrace people that differ from us. Leaders with advanced diversity intelligence understand their biases and adopt strategies to counteract them. They work hard to understand their diversity blind spots.
3. Diversity “comfort zones” must be overcome. First, let’s acknowledge that we find comfort in hanging out with similar people. Whether it’s an ethnic community, a religious connection or our political views, our instinct is to surround ourselves and hire those like us. I call these “diversity comfort zones.”
It’s awkward to move out of the security blanket of diversity comfort zones. These comfort zones can easily lead to group think and reduced innovation – with only one predominant perspective, tunnel vision is natural. There are some excellent tools that help leaders get comfortable with feeling initially uncomfortable when they venture outside their diversity comfort zones.
Leaders demonstrate courage by authentically getting beyond their diversity comfort zones. By courteously and curiously engaging with others who challenge them to move past their “people” and embrace new “people” they create a workplace culture of sharing, honesty and openness. This courage is contagious – I promise!
4. It’s Not About You. In addition to their own blind spots, leaders must remember that every person they work with has their own conditioning and biases. Leaders should constantly make a concerted effort to be more approachable – in simple terms, make it easier for those who might be uncomfortable interacting with you. Think about their diversity comfort zones and blind spots. Open up conversations that dispel their fears, erase their preconceived notions and genuinely prove you are interested in whom they really are (below the Diversity Iceberg’s surface). Focus on “them” rather than on “you.” By working on helping others gain confidence communicating with you, you will also become more comfortable interacting with those different from you.
Conclusion
Diversity intelligence provides leaders with strategic insight necessary to give us that competitive edge we all strive for. That edge lies within understanding and engaging those you lead – the key to harnessing the creative talent within is creating the ideal environment for innovation in the first place. That environment is one that values relationships, personal growth, positive reinforcement, and brainstorming - a place where everyone’s ideas matter.
By appreciating our diversity blind spots and comfort zones and improving our communication strategies practices to focus on those we serve, we improve our diversity intelligence. We grow and mature as leaders. We inspire both ourselves and others to Push Past Impossible.