In this day and age of globalization, the world can finally see and appreciate the power and
beauty of diversity. But while technology and innovation have enabled us to connect and
collaborate, we, as humans, haven’t been able to always keep up with the trends and
changes. Sadly, not a few organizations I know are still ages away from the ideal workplace
that we aspire to be – equal, fair, inspiring, and nurturing. Despite all the good things that
are happening to our world or our businesses, I believe that diversity can bring it to even
greater heights. Today’s gifts of advanced technology and awakening awareness give us the
perfect opportunity to embrace diversity and bring it into our realm.
My biggest advocacy is gender equality in the workplace and women empowerment. And
that is only a small aspect of diversity.
A diversified team, working in harmony and understanding, is strong, creatively superior,
dynamic, and engaging. People from all walks of life come with diverse experiences,
knowledge, ideas, viewpoints, and skills. Bringing it all to your company is a powerful force
that can spell the difference between mediocre and greatness.
Diversity is not about political correctness or keeping up with the trends. It is acknowledging
and respecting the beautiful idiosyncrasies of humans. And with this, we do not only
embrace what is beautiful and natural, but we are also using it to forward our cause and
realize our dreams.
Creating and/or transitioning to a diverse team can be tough. But, once we’ve changed our
mindset and start opening our minds to the possibilities and opportunities it presents,
embracing workplace diversity is not even a question.
Here are the three main factors that will foster a diverse team;
Leadership – It all boils down to the company leadership. We need business leaders who will support and commit to the diversity movement. We need CEOs who will create policies and measures that will allow everyone in the team to shine and bring their best selves to the table. And managers who will ensure that those policies and measures are observed. This is not about male or female leader, it’s about a leader creating workplace decisions that will allow diversity/equality to work in everyone’s favor.
Equality – It is high time we address the parity issues in the workplace. Wage gaps, gender prejudice, and character profiling should stop. We cannot continue giving men higher wages just because they are males. We must stop attaching competences to the color of our skin or our religious affiliations. Everyone should have an opportunity equal to everyone else.
Diverse Recruitment Team – These are the people who are actually forming your team. It could be just you, your partner, or an entire HR team, the recruitment team are crucial to creating a diverse team. People will tend to prefer those who look, think, and operate like them, and without the awareness and sensitivity to the issue, they will follow their instinct. You can start by creating proper guidelines and procedures on how to attract and retain the best talents without any prejudices other than their professional profile.
To make an impact, go for at least 20% percent minority representation. One woman in a
team of ten will make a go-to secretary, two women will make a duo to reckon with.
If we are all the same, we would be dispensable and meaningless. We are all the same and
all different at the same time. It’s time we embrace and celebrate that!
Do you have any dynamic business ideas? What’s stopping you? Let’s discuss! If you haven’t
yet, join the successful sisterhood here. Learn more of my business and life journeys from
my book, Pivotal Moments, here. It is also available in Kindle from this link
About Susanne Birgersdotter
Susanne is a Swedish self made entrepreneur and investor, has gone from designing her first app from her kitchen table to becoming one of the most influential entrepreneurs and brand builder within 7 years. Susanne’s strong instincts and intuition has helped her grow her companies including designing a #1 ranked app and founding IGOTCHA, SthlmAppLab, SBDM & Birgersdotter Innovate. Susannes biggest passion in life when she's not building business is Female Entrepreneurship, Health, Fashion - Tech and food.
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