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Inside Out |
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September 13, 2006 -- Volume 2, Issue 9 |
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A Message from Kim |
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As a member of the white, majority culture, I believe that most of us no longer believe that African Americans are not as good as whites, however, many Caucasions are victims of systematic conditioning that has occurred in this country for hundreds of years. While African-Americans were being systematically destroyed, families pulled apart and systems put in place to create dissention among the slaves as advocated by Willie Lynch in Virginia in 1712, whites were also being conditioned to believe that Blacks were subhuman, and didn't deserve simple, human considerations. How else can the inhumane treatment of fellow human beings be explained? It’s no wonder that there are unconscious remnants of this that still exist today. I believe that healing must occur on both sides. Whites must stop denying that racism no longer exists and attempt to see things from the point of view of a person of color in this country. It would be helpful if people of color can, at the same time as being on guard against injustice, be willing to concede that many things occur between blacks and whites that may have nothing to do with racism. There is something to be said for self-fulfilling prophesies. When we believe something is true on either side, even if it is not based on objective reality, then we go in search of any evidence to support our belief system. This does not help healing between races take place—it only serves to separate us. |
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In This Issue |
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Feature Article Upcoming Events Book Review |
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Diversity I know that diversity has been a big topic of conversation ever since the early 1990s when research supported the demographics that by the year 2000, 85% of the entering workforce would be female, African-American, Asian-American, Latino, or new immigrants. The fact that white males would be a minority entering the workplace was a wake up call for corporate America. Copyright © September 2006 Kim Olver. All rights reserved
NOTICE: This article is free and can be copied and reproduced |
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*Click Here or to read some of Kim's other articles* |
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Teleclasses All teleclasses are one (1) hour in length and all you need is a telephone. When you register we will send you a phone number that you will call five minutes prior to the start of your teleclass. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, but if you prefer to just listen that’s all right too. You do not need a computer or Internet, only a telephone. Don’t delay. There are a limited number of slots available. The following Teleclasses are FREE Do you maintain a diverse workforce in your place of business? Do you celebrate diversity? Would you like to learn how to create a diverse workplace that embraces diversity? Register for this call and learn how creating a diverse workforce in your place of business can increase your bottom line and create a more pleasant work environment for you, your co-workers and your employees. Empowered Leadership How would you like your leaders to be more effective? How would you like to create a work environment that is empowering to your employees? Register for this call and learn the skills necessary to create an empowered workforce for both management and your employees. Choice Theory & Reality Therapy Stop wasting your time attempting to control others and in the process becoming someone you don’t recognize. Discover how when you learn how to focus on your own behavior, you become empowered, more effective and ultimately improve the relationships in your life. Register for this call now and discover how you can be happier and more satisfied by making some adjustment in what you are doing. It’s a very exciting journey! Anger Management (De-escalation Skills) Are you someone who is confronted with angry people in the course of your life? Spouses, children, extended family members, neighbors, community members who have tempers and like to yell at you? Want to learn ways to take the wind out their sails and have them communicating more cooperatively? Then this class is for you! Goal Setting & Attainment Come on now; are you serious this time about keeping those New Year’s resolutions? Let’s really get serious about setting those goals for next year. This teleclass will give you a time-proven system for setting and actually attaining those New Year’s resolutions. No more excuses. Register for this call today. All you need is a telephone. Once you register, we will email you a phone number that you will call five minutes prior to the start of this class. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, but if you prefer to just listen that’s all right too. You do not need a computer or Internet, only a telephone. Don’t delay. There are a limited number of slots available. Click here to register for this informative class. |
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Chat Room All Chats are from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. EST |
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“Prejudice is an emotional commitment to ignorance.” —Nathan Rutstein Any time we commit ourselves to an opinion about an individual based on their membership to a particular group, we are showing our ignorance. Any time we commit ourselves to an opinion about a group of people based on a stereotype about them, we are demonstrating our ignorance. Stereotyping and prejudice is what we do when we don’t want to take the time to really get to know the reality of a situation. It’s a short-cut to understanding—only it doesn’t provide understanding at all. When we don’t know what we are talking about, we will seek understanding from conventional “wisdom.” The only problem is most conventional “wisdom” is simply ignorance. People who don’t understand difference will label it and make it “bad.” In order to come together in harmony, we must become aware of how little we actually know and become learners—true learners of the human condition in all its forms. |
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Leveraging Diversity at Work: How to Hire, Retain and Inspire a Diverse Workforce for Peak Performance and Profit I know as subscribers of mine you are probably tired of hearing about this book already. You have been with me every step of the way. You know about all the time and effort that has gone into it. You have spent enough time with me by now to know that diversity is a big interest of mine. You know I am about helping people perform their best at work. This book helps companies institute a diversity initiative from the very beginning. You will learn how to begin to examine diversity from the inside out. We need to understand how we have come to view the world the way we do. We must know what is inside of us that prevents us from truly embracing difference. Only then will we be able to truly move forward on a mission of inclusion. Once the authors have prepared individuals’ hearts and minds for diversity inclusion, then they go on to discuss ways to hire, retain and inspire a diverse workforce and enumerate the business advantages for doing so. They conclude with recommendations for both majority and minority groups on what each can do to improve the current situation. This is a book every business should have who is looking to do more than simply regulate behavior to “tolerate” different minority groups. This group addresses accepting, honoring and valuing the richness that diversity brings to the proverbial table in the form of increased profits for the company. You can buy the book today but it’s better to wait to tomorrow so you can take advantage of the fabulous offer we have put together for you in the form of free gifts from my other friends and business associates who are serving my same target market. So be sure to watch your email boxes tomorrow for my email about the book offer and don’t wait. The free bonus gifts will only be available for 24 hours until midnight tomorrow. Click here to order this book |
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One of the easiest things a company can do to begin a diversity initiative is to find out what holidays and celebrations are important to their employees and then make accommodations to provide time off if possible in observance of important days in your employee’s lives. CFE has created a perpetual diversity calendar that comes free with the purchase of our book, Leveraging Diversity at Work or it is available for purchase here. This will provide employers with a wealth of information about cultural and spiritual special occasions and moments of historical significance for members of different groups. The best thing for employers to do is to discuss with their workers if they have any special observances that they would need time off for. Then use special holidays and holy days to educate the rest of the workforce to different cultural experiences. One thing that will decrease fear of the unknown or the different is exposure. When you, as an employer, can provide your employees with different cultural experiences, you are helping to erase some ignorance and increase the understanding and sensitivity between groups of people. |
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Question: We are a human service organization and we have spent a lot of time assessing the demographics of our consumer population but we have never paid much attention to our employee demographics. Why is this so important? We are very committed to providing the utmost care for our consumers but our employees are employees. It is not our responsibility to coddle them, is it? Answer: Diversifying your staff is an excellent way to improve the services you provide to your consumers. It is difficult to provide culturally competent services when you don’t have an understanding of another person’s culture. You can say you will ask questions and learn from that consumer what is important in their culture and that is important but it is not so easy to articulate things about one’s own culture. For example, if I were to ask you to tell me what’s important about your culture for me to know so I can treat you the way you want to be treated, what would you say? Exactly. You don’t know. There are some things that a member of your same culture just understands by virtue of being a member of your culture that requires no explanation. Paying attention to diversity issues among your employees will lead to happier employees. Happier employees provide better services to your clients. Happier employees will lead to decreased turnover which will aid in consistency in service provision to your consumers. Consumers will be more comfortable if there are people who look like them operating in a staff capacity and if they can see representation at upper management, that’s even better. Paying attention to diversity issues with your employees with actually help you provide better services to your consumers. |
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Copyright © September 13, 2006 Kim Olver. All rights reserved. |
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Do you know that research was just done with college students that showed that lighter-skinned African Americans were looked upon more favorably for hiring, even when their darker-skinned cohorts had greater qualifications in education and experience? Does that offend your sensibilities in the 21st century? I truly hope so!