In today’s work environment, the ability to leverage the diverse talents, backgrounds and experiences of people from all walks of life is crucial. Our workplaces are increasingly comprised of people from many different cultural, educational and social backgrounds, and our organizations are relying more and more on diverse, cross-functional teams. Clearly, our ability to build productive, mutually-beneficial relationships – and our ability to effectively collaborate and work together – with people of all different backgrounds has become a requirement for sustainable success. In this workshop, participants will learn a new framework and a new set of distinctions to enable them to broaden their understanding and increase their ability to see, accept and value these differences – in order to optimize the contributions of everyone in support of the collective goals of the organization.
The ways we each interpret and “see things” are explored, as are the ways our moods, emotions, beliefs, backgrounds and even physical bodies and biology come into play as we live and work with others.
Participants will acquire a powerful new framework and “lens” through which to see and understand others – and perhaps even more importantly, to see and understand themselves. They will learn the difference between events (objective, factual) and explanations (subjective, judgments, unique to each person). They will expand their ability to value and accept differences, as well as their ability to understand how at a deeper level, we are all also very similar. These new understandings will enable participants to more effectively create spaces in which these different perspectives and views can be leveraged in support of team and organization goals. In addition, participants will strengthen self-awareness and self-responsibility related to the ways in which they relate and build relationships with others.
