STOP telling us how inclusive you are. The person who needs your inclusion needs it done, not said.
Margarita Diaz
How would you feel if I dropped this in an introduction of myself:
“I’m an honest person.”
What about a business that leads with this:
“We believe in fairness.”
Uh . . . Okay.
Now how often are you seeing or hearing some variation of this:
“We are inclusive here.”
Inclusion in Practice
We want to be inclusive, right?
We want people to feel seen, valued, and a part of.
Heck, WE want to feel seen, valued and a part of!
Inclusion is a beautiful ideology in discussions, plans and visions, but in the here-and-now reality, it’s a practice.
💭 Ideology is what we think.
💥 Practice is what we do.
And I’m hearing so many declarations of how “inclusive” we all are that it’s causing me pause.
❗️Inclusion is a practice.
We don’t declare it left and right. We DO it.
And I’m sorry to tell you, it’s not really such a ground-breaking concept.
Here are some examples of what inclusion really looks like:
📌 Good manners;
📌 Acknowledging everyone;
📌 Noticing someone new or alone and bringing them into the conversation;
📌 Respecting opinions that differ from yours;
📌 Not playing favorites;
📌 Opening your mind or heart to someone you might not have before, without seeking praise for it;
. . . Just to name a few.
Inclusivity isn’t always about the BIG statements. In fact, those mean nothing without the small, daily acts and gestures of kindness that make all the difference.
And oh yeah . . .
I’m an honest person 😐.
But what reason do I possibly have to be declaring that left and right 🤨?
Think about it.
Makes you wonder, right?
⚠️ If you truly value inclusion, don’t diminish it’s worth by rendering the term itself meaningless from overuse and use without meaningful action.
