10 Tips for a More Culturally Proficient 2010

According to dictionary.com to be competent means to “be adequate, but not exceptional” and proficient means “to be well advanced or an expert.” Many speakers, trainers and consultants teach people how to be culturally competent, but I prefer to help people become proficient. It is not good enough to be good, one must seek to be great in all they do. So why not be great at engaging and communicating with people? Why not become proficient in connecting with people who are different than you?

I encourage you to strive for greatness and excellence in the new year. I encourage you to re-think your old way of engaging with people and your perspective on diversity and inclusion.

Use these next 10 Tips to become more culturally proficient:

1. It is simply not enough for you to have one friend of a different race or have a few “different” people in your inner circle. I don’t know about you but I love learning about how different people think and live. The diversity of friendships and colleagues enhances your life and world view.

2. Diversity is not enough. It is going to take more than adding “different” people to the team. What good is it to have them at the table if they have no value or voice? This is like adding new spices to your spice rack but never using them, trying them and or discovering the flavor they can bring to your overall dish… Not to long ago I started adding some “dill, cumin and adobe” seasonings to my dishes and boy I tell you… adding these spices took the dishes to places I have never tasted before… Now I can’t wait to try out a new spice!

3. Drop the word “diversity” in your personal and professional language and add the word “inclusion.” Why? for the simple reasons stated in tip #2. People from different backgrounds, races, ethnicites and religions WANT TO BE INCLUDED AND APPRECIATED FOR THE FLAVOR THEY BRING TO THE TABLE.

I firmly believe that if you can connect with any person you can do anything you want and get whatever you want. As the browning of America continues to evolve many folks believe that one day everyone will be a shade of brown. It is estimated that by year 2050 that White America will no longer be the majority. If this is true, that means that your boss may be a person of color one day if they are already not. This means that you may encounter more people who do not look like you, think like you and or speak like you. Do you know how to make the connection?

4. Change is coming. Change is happening right now. Are you prepared to engage with different people in different settings? Start now by making connections with as many “different” people as possible. Not just any connections, but deep, genuine and lasting connections.

5. Lose the “I don’t see color” phraseology and all forms of it. Simply put “to be color blind” is to be ignorant, in denial and or to minimize the experiences of people of color. Yes, people of color want to be treated like everyone else and fairly, however they’re experiences in life and the legacy of their ancestors is a piece of their story that cannot be denied. To see color means to see what one might have or is currently experiencing in life. Besides, color is beautiful… look at it, see it, acknowledge it, embrace it and just accept that it exists.

Diversity trainings and workshops often challenge participants to focus on “them” however, I challenge people to focus on “self.” The real work that needs to be done to create inclusive work environments begins on an individual level first. As you know it has been said that we should “be the change you want to see in the world, Gandhi.” We have tremendous social change power that is not tapped into often enough. Inclusion begins with YOU!

6. Challenge your own thoughts about differences, race, discrimination, prejudice, exclusion and racism. Are you FREE of judgments? Are you FREE of profiling? Are you FREE of intentional or unintentional acts that exclude “different people?”

7. Are you part of the solution or the problem? What are you doing to live an inclusive life? What are you doing to help create an inclusive work environment. 2010 is the year of “taking action”, what will you do right now and in the new year to be more inclusive?

8. What kind of culturally proficient legacy will you leave for your children and grandchildren? Start talking to your kids about differences and inclusion. Teach them how to not be afraid of someone who does not look like them. Allow them to experience the flavor of differences, it will enrich their lives and create new generations of inclusion. Inclusion will be come a daily act instead of an agenda item or policy or procedure.

Every body has a story. What’s yours? Do you know your ethnic history? Have you embraced your heritage or has it become lost in the evolution of life? What does it mean to be Irish, German, Native American, Latino, Asian, French, Italian or Swedish? What does that really mean and what is the legacy of your heritage?

9. Research your own ethnicity. Understand and embrace the struggles and triumphs of your ancestors. Get in touch with your story so that you may have a better understanding of someone eles’s story. Tell your story, share your story and embrace your story. It is also important that you tell the truth about your story and how the story of your ancestors may have impacted the story of someone else’s ancestors’ story.

10. Make a commitment to NOT enage in paper-cutting! I’m sure you have had several paper cuts in your lifetime. A small yet sometimes painful little slit of the skin that may sting or burn, yes that annoying and bothersome paper cut hurts sometimes. Could you imagine the pain you’d experience if you got 9 or 10 of them in a day? Could you imagine the pain if you got 9 or 10 of them in a day every day of the week totaling let’s say 70 paper cuts in a week? Paper cuts or “microaggressions” are tiny little acts or words that slice and dice the spirit of people who are different than you. Often times they are unintentional yet profoundly painful to the receiver. You may be giving paper cuts to others and not even know it.

Bonus Tip:
Do your homework. Do your research. Become educated and enlightened about “differences.” It’s your responsibility to fill your backpack with culturally proficient tools in order to effectively engage with and establish relationships with people who are different than you. So start today by learning more about microaggressions and how you may be unintentionally hurting and excluding other people. Check out the book Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation, by Dr. Derald Wing Sue. An inclusive life and work environment should be…. DELICIOUS! A sweet, savory and fulfilling experience for you and those in your circle. Happy Inclusive New Year!

By Catrice Jackson