We Have Work to Do! Concept #1: Know yourself; you carry baggage. Presented by Joan A. Zanders Director of Financial Aid Northern Virginia Community College Chair, VASFAA FOCUS Committee

We all do! We have been conditioned— socialized--to be biased.

Ethnocentrism: Believing, as a people group, that our own solutions in developing a culture are superior to any others and would be recognized as superior by any right-thinking, intelligent, logical human being.

Would it surprise you to know that ALL cultures likely feel that way? (If they didn’t, they would change!)

Diversity is defined as race, gender, age, language, physical characteristics, disability, sexual orientation, economic status, parental status, education, geographic origin, profession, lifestyle, religion, position in the company hierarchy, and any other difference…so many possibilities for prejudice!!

Questions—and answers—as clues: Have you ever told a joke that referenced someone from a group listed in the previous slide? Have you ever listened to/allowed such a joke and said nothing? Have you ever felt that entire people groups were the cause of their own problems? Have you ever felt that other religions were just wrong—or lifestyles—or orientations? Are you uncomfortable in the presence of those different from you?

Have you ever just known that others speaking a different language in your presence were talking about you?? (What makes you think you were important enough for them to be discussing you??)

We have been socially conditioned to be biased: To think one is immune may be the height of naivete or arrogance. Bias and prejudice are learned behaviors. We can grow and change if we are personally willing to confront and unlearn prejudicial conditioning. Unlearning our biases means acquiring accurate information and experiences.

Every bigot was once a child free from prejudice!

Managing diversity means: Developing a system and a culture that unite different people in a common pursuit without undermining their diversity. It is achieving “unum” without asking the “pluribus” to do quite so much melting. Gordon

Instead of a melting pot where we must all blend together and blend in, why not consider us a tossed salad where each of us maintains our own unique characteristics but when mixed together yield a “flavor” that is superior to any single one of us?

Per Steven Covey, the goal is synergy—building a culture, an environment, that is so much greater than the sum of it’s parts--by valuing, embracing, and not fearing the differences.

Building that culture, whether in the workplace or community, begins with each one of us! We have work to do!!

“I’m starting with the man in the mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer. If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make that…change.” Michael Jackson