How you can become a leader who values individuality
Do you supervise employees who are different from you? Employees are unique with their own beliefs and cultural differences. One problem that can occur is your own bias, which is the tendency to be prejudiced or biased against a particular culture within the workplace.
As a leader, your values help you create an engaged workforce. But values can get in the way when tied to cultural biases. How comfortable are you personally leading a group of people who are different from you?
Top 10 issues to consider:
- Age (ageism)
- Gender (male, female, transgender)
- Sexual orientation (straight, gay, lesbian)
- Disability (rare, limited)
- Religion (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Bahá’í, Hinduism, Buddhism)
- Non-believers (atheists, agnostics, deists, skeptics)
- Ethnicity/race (White/Caucasian, Black/African American, Native American)
- Nationality (Italian, Latin, Asian, German, French, Russian)
- Accent (drawn, twang, brogue)
- Party Affiliation (Libertarian, Democrat, or Republican)
If you’ve ever found yourself talking to a coworker about a hot topic, you know how difficult this discussion can become when you don’t share your views. Although she may never discuss non-work related issues with staff, conversations do occasionally break out around the water cooler. And when they do, be careful because you never know what can happen.
Employees may be discussing party affiliation or whether they are for or against legalized gambling. The discussion may center on who should get a tax break and whether the size of government is too small or too big. As a leader, you must respect individuality and maintain a healthy workplace. What are your first thoughts when you hear employees discussing a topic and strongly disagree with them?
What does bias mean to you? Do you consider yourself biased? Are you predisposed to certain beliefs? Have you come to a foregone conclusion about a certain member of your staff because of where they were born or the way they speak? Being biased against certain employees is a weakness found in some leaders and supervisors. Great leaders focus on their strengths that help them alleviate this problem. They appreciate differences and gain the wisdom to control their emotional reactions. They pay attention to their own biases and are creative as they figure out ways to deal with their biases. If you consider yourself a leader who values individuality, what do you personally do to overcome any biases you have toward employees?