Diversity at Work

Lenses, Legacies, and Leadership

Tanya M. Odom

write this column in the midst of many debates, articles, polls, and
discussions about the upcoming presidential election. Whatever your political affiliation may be, this year is historic.

From a diversity perspective, the campaign has brought unprecedented attention to issues of race, gender, and age, due to the presence of John McCain, Hillary

Clinton, and Barack Obama. For many, this is a watershed year because the leading candidates for the Democratic Party nomination were a woman and a Black man of mixed heritage and ancestry. The choice has magnified the importance of conversations around respect, history, inclusion, and diversity. These circumstances give credence to the message of diversity.

The reaction across the nation has been astonishing. I have heard countless stories of people being glued to radios and televisions and even crying as they realized that the world can and is changing. Change in electoral politics presents a great opportunity for true dialogue, learning, and sharing. It can be an opportunity to understand the power of our “lenses and legacies.” These are concepts developed in depth by Mark Williams in his groundbreaking book, The 10 Lenses. Williams explores the various lenses through which we view other races and cultures and delves into the legacies—the historical events—that have shaped our perspective as members of a particular group.

Our lenses and legacies affect how we view leadership and who we want to lead our nation. After all, to some degree, our leadership reflects who we are as a people and a country. For many, issues of race and gender are the issues in the election. For others, patriotism, loyalty, and military service are most important issues. Sometimes each group has difficulty seeing another group’s perspective. Rather than create political or value-driven debates in the workplace, I suggest that this is the time to discuss the genesis of our political viewpoints—our lenses and legacies—and what is important to us and why.

In short, it is time for dialogue, not debate. In an excellent Harvard Business School
article , “Moving Beyond Debate: Start a Dialogue,” author Mark Gerzon differentiates between dialogue and debate. He offers a framework for conversations that is open-ended and inclusive. He writes:

• Debate: Assuming that there is a right answer, and that you have it

• Dialogue: Assuming that many people have pieces of the answer

As we head toward the conflict, mudslinging, and heated discussion that inevitably precede a general election, I encourage everyone—in the workplace and outside it—to focus on a dialogue, not debate.

Let’s use this election is an opportunity to learn about each other’s lenses and legacies. DW

Tanya M. Odom, EdM, is a consultant, facilitator, trainer, coach and speaker. She is a part-time senior consultant at The FutureWork Institute. You can e-mail Tanya at tanya@diversitywoman.com.