Johnson - The diversity code unlock the secrets to making differences work in the real world

The Diversity Code

Unlock the Secrets to Making Differences Work in the Real World

MICHELLE T. JOHNSON

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

Johnson, Michelle T.

The diversity code : unlock the secrets to making differences work in the real world / Michelle T. Johnson.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-1632-7 (pbk.)

ISBN-10: 0-8144-1632-2 (pbk.)

1. Diversity in the workplace. 2. Diversity in the workplaceUnited States. I. Title.

HF5549.5.M5J653 2011

658.3008dc22 2010006681

2011 Michelle T. Johnson
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.

This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

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Printing number
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

I was sent a quote recently that said that people will forget what youve said, people will forget what youve done, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

This book is dedicated to all the friends Ive met in the workplace over the years who have made me feel bright and respected and valued and appreciated and to the people who allowed me to give back that same gift.

My thanks go to God first, last, and in the cracks and crevices in between; my two Mariesmy mother, Ethel Marie, and my grandmother, Cliffie Marie, who provided the foundation I stand upon daily; my best friend and rock Adrienne H. Bennett; all of my friends but special thanks to my dream team of girlfriends who provide laughter and steel-tipped boots to keep me on track, most notably Larrye J. Murrell, Joy A. Springfield, Cherry Muhanji, and Jessica Kerrigan; the entire Stites family (Mark, Leigh, Ashley, Emily, and Kathryne), who fed me enough to write ten books; my faithful, fluffy writing companions, Hilbert Ray and Henry Jay; my literary agent, Sha-Shana Crichton of Crichton & Associates; and my editor, Christina Parisi of AMACOM Books, for making all this possible.

Special thanks also to my immense spiritual community at Kansas Citys Center for Spiritual Living, with particular loving gratitude to Ora Stafford, Judy Whitcraft, Mike Irwin, Mark Hayes, and Reverend Jarie Newsome.

And thanks to my creative muses who left this world way too soon but whose influences will forever inspire and nurture methank you, Gordon Parks, Luther Vandross, and Octavia Butler.

The Diversity Code

Dear Diversity Diva:

What exactly is this book going to do for me that all the mandatory diversity seminars, workshops, and training sessions that Ive been required to go to as a manager havent already done? And what the devil makes you a Diversity Diva in the first place?

Signed,
Book Paid for on Credit Card

What this book will dodifferently from any other diversity talk youve ever had to sit through or diversity brochure youve been required to readis tell it to you straight. Im not going to sugarcoat diversity and make it palatable. Im also not going to surround it with a political agenda or explain it in a way that makes it nothing more than sociological cough syrup.

As you read this book, youll get mad at some things I say. Sometimes, youll chuckle to yourself. But most important, youll be spurred to start thinking a little differently, which is the key to managing diversity issues.

Giving you a list of dos or donts would be an exercise in futility, so Im not going to do that. The womens magazine Glamour ends every issue with pictures of fashion dos and donts, based on pictures of real women walking around. Seeing a picture of someone looking like a hot mess indirectly tells you what not to wear.

Thats great for a monthly magazine and particularly great for illustrating the changing winds of fashion. But diversity isnt so cut-and-dried. Thats why I said that its about thinking differently. When it comes to managing diversity issues, it becomes really important to think a little differently, because if you view the world differently, you show up in the world differently, which impacts how you behave and how you treat others. Thats more than half the battle of getting diversity right in the workplace. At the very least, youll come a long way from doing it wrong.

This reminds me of the analogy weve all heard about how a brilliant idea is symbolized by a light bulb going off over your head. Well, I dont know about most folks, but in my house, when Im dealing with the dark because of a burnt-out bulb, a new light doesnt just appear. Getting a new light bulb requires me to visit the storage cabinet, and if the right kind of bulb isnt there, then I need to drive to the closest open store. Then I have to come back home and fiddle around in the dark to find the socket to screw in the new bulb. In other words, enlightenment requires effort. It doesnt just happen.

And thats what thinking differently about diversity requireseffort. Not necessarily work or strain, not always discomfort, but good old-fashioned effort.

Anyway, you have probably figured it out already, but the title of this bookThe Diversity Codeis a twist on the title of the best-selling novel by Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code. I got very excited when I came up with the title because for most of us, trying to figure out diversity in the workplace feels like trying to break a big encrypted code where someonewe never know whois the keeper of the big book that holds the key to figuring out all the mysteries and puzzles that getting a good grasp on diversity requires. This book will help you move toward solving those mysteries and puzzles.

Oftentimes while reading this book, youll understand the spirit of a quote by Walt Whitman that I love: Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself. Authentic and practical diversity is not about rules and regulations that put you in compliance. You can legally comply with the law but still be really, really lousy at promoting diversity in your workplace, whether you are a manager or a regular employee.