Actions of Inclusion

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.

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