In 1908 a new management program was introduced at Harvard University. The program’s goal was to educate those who would become the leaders of the large corporations which were emerging as a feature of the American business landscape. The program’s founders believed that corporations should be run in a manner that reflected the interests of society. The vision of the program, one still reflected in the motto of the Harvard Business School today, was “To educate leaders who make a difference in the world.”   

One hundred years later a lot of questions are being asked about the difference those leaders have made and whether or not the interests of society have indeed been respected.  The gap between rich and poor has grown increasingly wide, as has the gap between executive compensation and the wage of working men and women.  Ethical values seem to have been replaced by egotism, narcissism and greed.

In the face of the economic meltdown, a group of Harvard MBA students decided it might be time for a change. They started asking some questions:  What would we want our class to be remembered for? What should our legacy be? What can we do to ensure that MBA becomes synonymous with integrity, professionalism and leadership? From those questions the MBA oath was born.

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At a diversity conference a few weeks ago, Paul met Todd Dewett. During their conversation, Todd told a story about the time he was mistaken for a minority group member and what it felt like. Below, he shares the story with us.

Everyone Can Understand What It Means To Be A Minority

Many times diversity trainers find it difficult to connect with an audience comprised mostly of white males. Not surprising since white males who are in the majority are not used to being stereotyped like a minority – right? Kinda. While it is true that white males do not understand what it is like to be anything other than what they are – white males, they can understand what it means to be stereotyped. You – the trainer or executive – can help them remember, and in doing so increase their comfort level with and curiosity about diversity-related issues at work.

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Last week I finished the third and final class of Cleveland State University’s Leadership Forum on Diversity series. Since most of the information presented during the series served as refresher for me, it was the dialogue among students that provided the greatest knowledge. Like in real life, open conversation is often the best teacher.

The class was filled with diverse learners: students, staff, faculty and regular folks from the community like me, interested in increasing diversity awareness and cultural competency. Yet with all of these varied personal experiences competing, we were able to create meaningful dialogue and learn a few things in the process. Did you know that military families were horrified when the KIA car company was introduced because the name also means killed in action?

It’s often the information that we don’t consciously think about and that others don’t know that provide such interesting dialogue revelations. Several months ago I wrote a post about taking the point of view of others and what I learned from having a candid discussion about race with one of my closest friends, who also happens to be African-American, although knowing her she’d probably just like me to refer to her as black.

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Autumn is a fascinating and powerful time of year when many significant holidays take place. During these events our personal challenges can appear magnified, and celebrations can turn into incredibly stressful times. This need not be the case however, if we try to remember that by showing respect at all times to other people, we simultaneously give ourselves a pat on the back and a good feeling inside. This is one of those rare opportunities which remind us that we are human. None of us are able to escape these difficult trials completely. We always have the choice of how to conduct ourselves, explain our difficulties and treat those around us at these stress filled moments.

Have you ever noticed how some people think that just because they are going through a tough time they can get away with being disrespectful to other people? Somehow they feel they deserve some slack, and that their problems are so important that they can snub, criticize, degrade and otherwise make life uncomfortable for everyone around them. Nothing could be less attractive, more cruel and thoughtless, or more insulting than this sort of behavior. Whether this hurtful behavior is consciously intentional or skillfully cloaked in the garb of passive aggressive behavior, it should be appropriately recognized, addressed and apologized for to keep relationships healthy.

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