Send to KindleI’ll confess, I’m one of the dozen or so Americans who don’t watch Duck Dynasty. But, I am one of the millions who have been watching the controversy surrounding the Duck Dynasty patriarch, Phil Robertson’s, comments in an interview with GQ magazine. My interest in this is mainly as an example of what run away diversity can do, but also just a natural human tendency to stare when someone does something stupid.
Oh, you thought…no I was referring to A&E and Cracker Barrel. But, let me explain what I mean by run away diversity.
The idea of embracing diversity in our culture is a good one. For too long there was a tendency to ignore and even suppress cultural diversity. That doesn’t make sense because every workplace is made up of people of many varied races, religions, and cultural backgrounds. That’s good.
The problem comes when our attempt to do good gets carried away. When that happens we have situations like the Duck Dynasty flap where one person’s opinion is rejected because it doesn’t meet someone else’s idea of inclusive. And yes, I do get the irony in that.
Leaders need to take this lesson to the workplace. A lot of conflict is caused by this attempt to include everyone’s opinion at the expense of some people’s opinion, which makes about as much sense as this sentence. I know people who’s entire professional life is built around trying to teach others how not to offend anyone. That is of course impossible.
So, what’s a leader to do? The most effective workplaces, and those with the least conflict, are the ones that insist that everyone’s thoughts are valuable and worth consideration. But they are also the ones that foster open and honest communication. If you don’t like my opinion, you should be free to say so and even offer an opposing view in a logical and professional way. That doesn’t mean you hate me, nor does it mean I’ll never speak to you again. It’s very possible that, tomorrow, you may say something I disagree with and I’m sure you would appreciate the same courtesy from me. After all, we’re not in grade school anymore.
When I facilitate workshops I tell the participants that all ideas are worth considering but that there is a pretty good chance that at some point one participant is going to look at another and think, “That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” What’s important to remember is that someone else in the group is very likely to look at you and have the same thought.
The successful workplace is where open communication and mutual respect is the rule and everyone embraces real diversity in a professional and civil manner.
