Identity & Celebrating Diversity
"Identity is a topic that I've always noticed. I'm Chinese-Cuban-American, bilingual, the child of immigrant parents, gay, artistic and technically-inclined, often the youngest, and usually the only woman in male-dominated teams.
I'm also fortunate to have been able to live in five U.S. states, travel the world and collaborate with international colleagues on global teams.
I've always been the 'different' one and it's made it very easy for me to understand and appreciate diverse perspectives. I see this as a HUGE gift!"
CELEBRATE WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT!
Your individuality, unique talents & perspective are strengths & assets.
Our identities are shaped by what's influenced us, our experiences, and how we see ourselves. When talking about Identity and Diversity, most people think about gender, race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, and conversations can get tense and uncomfortable.
But, there are so many more factors that influence your Identity! It also includes the expectations we have for ourselves due to the roles we see ourselves in - whether leader, parent, expert, protector, enforcer, victim, bully, 'grunt' or 'paper pusher'.
Identity impacts our attitudes, beliefs, behavior & relationships. Our individuality and unique talents are strengths and assets to be celebrated.
And, we ALL benefit from diverse collaboration. It leads to broader thinking, more creativity, inclusion and potentially widespread appeal.
We're able to accomplish more bringing our diverse talents together, instead of working separately - or even against each other.
Some factors that may influence your unique perspective:
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Culture
- Geography
- Language
- Religion
- Gender
- Age
- Generation
- Size
- Ability
- Talent
- Education
- Opportunity
- Customs
- Socio-economic
- Sexual orientation
- Values
- Family structure
- Needs
- Status
- Role
- Responsibility
- Resources
- Experience
Who can benefit from Identity & Celebrating Diversity work?
Learning to appreciate the value and uniqueness of your own perspective allows you to begin to see just how differently each of us perceives the same things. Focusing on Identity & Celebrating Diversity can benefit those who are:
-
seeking clarity in who they are individually and in relationship with others
- trying to identify their unique edge/strength
- rigid in their perspective of how things should be
- leading, managing, teaching, parenting and/or empowering others
- seeking to unite others towards a common goal or outcome
- feeling uncomfortable when topics of identity, diversity & inclusion come up
- part of cross-functional teams or organizations
- working on projects that require creativity and innovation
- seeking the courage to pursue a dream or initiate a change - especially with identity, skills and talents that are not traditionally valued
Benefits of exploring topics of Identity & Diversity
What you get out of this work is dependent on the effort, openness and honesty (with yourself) that you put in.
- Appreciation and increased confidence in yourself because of your individuality and unique perspective
- Insight as to why others may differ so much in feelings and perspective
- Increased creativity, innovation, and productivity from smoother collaboration and diverse input
- Attracting better quality talent, people, relationships, and opportunities from a more accepting outlook
- Improved attitude when dealing with situations
- Insight on what's influencing your perspective - including your beliefs and experiences
- Broader scope of options to address challenges
- Positive influence on decisions, environment, and the people around you
- Improved outlook on what is possible
Services focusing on Identity & Celebrating Diversity topics available in:
Contact me directly to submit a request for an "Identity & Diversity"-specific ONLINE COURSE.
Frequently Asked Questions
Diversity is not about categories like race, ethnicity, religion, etc.
Diversity is simply bringing seemingly different (things or) people together. Their differences could be external, or deeper such as differences in talent, skill, experience, and thus perspective.
And Diversity is not something to be tolerated or merely accepted. It should be celebrated because it makes the whole stronger.
Note: This doesn't say the minority should be celebrated. It says Diversity (the combination of differences) should be celebrated. But yes, every person deserves to be celebrated too. :)
Gaining clarity on your identity will increase your confidence and appreciation for who you are and what you contribute to things and relationships. It'll also give you an appreciation of others' perspectives - likely making for more honest, open, constructive and productive interactions.
It'll change how you see things - open you to new possibilities, allow for more creativity and will likely change how you approach day-to-day decisions and activities.
What you get out of this work depends on the effort that you put in. Exploring identity and diversity is an opportunity for personal growth. It focuses on how you see yourself, especially in relation to others.
Only you can really answer that for yourself. This topic is not a requirement, but an opportunity.
Exploring identity and diversity is not just about you. It also addresses how you see yourself in relation to others, and how you perceive and interact with others in relationship to you.
The whole point of identity and celebrating diversity is about being open to ideas outside of you. You don't know what you don't know.
There are no experts in identity and diversity. These are very personal topics with very individual perspectives.
One of the reasons to explore these topics is to improve communication among different people. The fact that you're asking this question could mean that you have some thoughts and feelings about what it means to be in the minority. That may be subconsciously impacting how you interact with others.
Again, exploring the topics of identity and diversity is not a requirement, but an opportunity.
These topics are timeless. Unfortunately, they seem to be especially politically charged at the moment.
But, choosing to address the uncomfortable topics is how we change things, grow, heal and expand our 'comfort zone'.
And, it's safe to address these concerns as we work together. Our work is about you, your journey and what you're working through.
Online courses are in ongoing development. The first available one is on Personal Foundation.
Because identity is such a personal topic, for now, it's good to have face-to-face conversations about it.
However, if you are interested in an online course on the subjects of Identity & Diversity, please send me an email including what particular topics you'd like to see included. Your input will help me in course development and prioritization.
Ask the deeper questions to create a life that fulfills you!
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