Yesterday was super inspiring! First listening online the event about Circular Economy Green Deal, organised by the Ministry of the Environments and then heading to EuroSafety- ja Työhyvinvointi-messut. Thanks for having me on stage!
I claimed that managing diversity is (should be) a part of the leadership tool kit in every supervisory role. it is important to highlight, that we are not talking about any separate thing, but about something that we need to understand better as individuals as well as organisations by raising awareness.
Managing diversity doesn´t mean filling an organisation with as diverse individuals as possible. It requires diverse individuals experiencing inclusion and ability to foster individual strengths.
But why should diversity be managed/led in the first place?
😊 Every company employing more than one person, has diversity. In companies we need to create a culture that supports diversity. Developing culture needs leadership.
🗨 Diversity management provides space for multi-voiced discussion. It increases the sense of belonging and commitment, which strengthens motivation.
💡 A diverse work environment creates diverse thinking. It creates competitive advantage and innovation.
🚶♀️ Without understanding individual strengths, we lose a huge potential, and risk losing talent.
📜 If we want to do business, we need to report on sustainability, e.g. on own workforce. If we want to report on sustainability, we need actions. If we need company level actions and policies, we need management.
I must say that at least I still also personally have a long learning path ahead when it comes to understanding diversity and its forms better, but I also think that in the end it´s about the will to face another person openly, genuinely. It is surprisingly hard to acknowledge a understand our own prejudices and assumptions and where they originate from, but it´s a starting point. To understand others better we also need to understand ourselves better.
