Different perspectives in a team enriches the organizational culture.
Today there is a lot of talk about Diversity and, a couple of weeks ago, two girls from the team approached me to ask me to write about what we believe and preach at Back to Basics on this topic. For some people, it can be a very complex topic, but we wanted to look at it in a simple way that can be summed up in one sentence: “let ourselves be amazed by the other”. What does this mean or what is the background? Here I explain it.
We believe that all human beings have dignity and are valuable by themselves. That is the essential starting point that, in a society tired of productivity and speed (ref. Byung Chul-Han) and, in which most of the time, we feel we are objects and not persons, it is fundamental to “bring it to the table”.
We also believe that every human being brings knowledge and perspectives from his or her personal and cultural experience that make him or her unique. Therefore, each person deserves respect for who they are today, with their past experiences and future dreams. No matter their age, profession, country or ethnicity. They are valuable by themselves.
Thus, if every person is valuable for what he/she IS, everyone will always have something valuable to contribute because they bring a unique perspective. The important thing will be the openness of the other(s) to listen, understand and articulate that perspective with their own. For this reason, we understand diversity as the ability to “let ourselves be amazed by the other” and, therefore, in our corporate statements, we have curiosity as a key value that each member of Back to Basics must live. We believe that if we are curious, if we are able to let ourselves be amazed by the other, there will be respect, tolerance, compassion and empathy that encompass a primary and necessary value for humanity and that, although little is said about it, it applies to organizations: love.
I appreciate the proposal to write on this topic because, as leaders of a small or large organization, we must provide an overview or a broad perspective on certain topics of interest that arise socially and entrepreneurially. I am happy to share that the Back to Basics team is a diverse team in ages, professions, profiles, experiences and life perspectives that nurture the creation of tailored strategies for our clients.
People are the soul of any organization!
