Back to School? Be Respectful!
Every August when I was a kid, as I headed out each morning to start yet another year of school, my parents commanded me to “be respectful.” My teachers were to be respected, my coaches, the principal, the nurse, the school staff, and yes, even the crossing guard – all were to be treated with respect by me. Never mind the kids, my parents told me. The ones who taunted and bullied me at the bus...
Managing Conflict with Respect: Essential Techniques for Leaders
Whether it’s friction between individuals or groups, stereotyping and negative assumptions, miscommunication and a silo mentality, clashes between different personalities and behavioral styles, or a dismissive attitude and resistance to feedback, these challenges are all too common in today’s organizational environments. Let’s explore the current state of workplace conflict...
“DEI Hire?” Seriously?!
Calling someone a “DEI hire” is a racist, bigoted, and misogynistic insult. It implies that the only reason a person in a position of power or authority got their job was because of a handout or a numerical preference based on race, ethnicity, or gender. It also wrongly assumes that any white male in a senior position earned his role purely on merit, which anyone who has worked with or for an...
INTENT versus IMPACT
Introduction This fundamental concept is one of the core principles of my work and integral to DTG’s approach to dealing with Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) issues in the workplace and marketplace. D&I issues or employee relation issues (among people who are different) typically involve two people or more. The perpetrator or the initiator of the behavior is one party and the target or...
What NFL Coach Andy Reid Gets Right and Wrong About Respect
Last week, I offered my thoughts on the opinions of Harrison Butker, a professional football player with the Kansas City Chiefs, who kicked off a major controversy recently with his address at Benedictine College’s graduation ceremony. Many reasonable, decent, and thoughtful people with all sorts of political and religious leanings considered his address to be ignorant, disrespectful,...Think Before You Kick
Unless you deliberately don’t watch TV, don’t look at the news online, and eschew all social media of any kind, then you’ll find it’s hard to avoid the controversy that the professional football player Harrison Butker kicked off last week with his commencement address at Benedictine College. In a nutshell, he cited his religious beliefs to attack the President, the medical community’s response...
What We’re About to Experience
To say that what is happening politically and socially in the US right now is unprecedented would be a gross understatement. Established and reputable research organizations are signaling, as Pew Research does here, that America’s national politicians and those who are deep into domestic and foreign policy are extraordinarily polarized. Unsurprisingly, we’re seeing this reflected in...
Respect for You as a Human Being
Last week, I had an somewhat loaded discussion with a new friend who had contracted COVID while on a holiday trip that involved a lot of flying. When I asked if they’d worn a mask while at the airport and on their flights, they indicated that they hadn’t because they didn’t believe that masks actually worked to protect us from viruses. They cited a research study that supported this belief...
An Even More Challenging Year Is Coming
Before delving into a more somber subject, I would like to extend my heartfelt wishes for a Happy New Year to everyone. Throughout the past few years, we repeatedly highlighted the unsettling surge in what we call “public disrespect,” incivility, and discord within American society, reaching levels not seen since the tumultuous era of the Vietnam War. However, unlike 56 years ago, the...