One of the phrases I learned as a child was that America is the “Great Melting Pot.” The message intended to describe how wonderful it was that so many unique individuals from around the world had emigrated here and were now magically transformed into one big happy (and generic) family. At that time I thought that was pretty cool.
Have you ever had an ice cream cone melt before you could eat it? Ever had a candy bar that was left in the car during the summer? Ever heard of Frosty the Snowman?
How About You
Now? Not so much.
Melting = Changing
Let’s face it, other than cheese in the Fondue pot, melting in general sucks. So do I think that melting all of the unique differences, strengths, and diversity of people together and changing them into some sort of giant homogeneous culture is a good thing?
Now? Not so much.
Reject the Message
As I’ve (attempted) to learn and grow over the years it has become increasingly obvious to me that without leveraging the diversity around me I simply will not be successful. For too many years I’ve seen leaders connect with other like-minded leaders to make decisions that affect everyone. Why is that? Isn’t there a world of opportunity if all of the leadership talent is tapped to create the best organization possible? On a more personal level, have I actually convinced myself that I have all of the answers? Really? There used to be a time when I believed that.
Now? Not so much.
How About YouDo you look forward to welcoming many different types of employees into your organization only to fire up the fondue pot and start tossing everyone in? How many ideas, discussions, and strategic plans are never realized when we focus on making everyone the same? Melting pots are good for fondue. People are not fondue.
I’d love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pics courtesy of kindertrauma and fastfondue
