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The day I wrote this column, Jan. 21, 2013, the second presidential inauguration of Barack Obama took place. A presidential inauguration is a celebration of America and what it stands for. In the news coverage, someone quoted American author Alex Haley as saying, “Find the good and praise it.” It seemed we were doing that very thing, but why do we wait for events like this to notice the good in our lives?
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President Obama spoke about what holds us together as a country and perhaps the most memorable words from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The president noted that while we have come a long way toward living this declaration, we still have a long way to go.
“We the people” are immigrants of different sizes, shapes, colors, countries, genders, sexual orientations, socio-economic status, ages, physical and mental abilities, religious beliefs, and political beliefs, among other things. We are happy to claim our inalienable rights. As a matter of fact, we are passionate about claiming those rights. Maybe that is what makes America great, for all its problems. Our country is a work in progress, as are all institutions.
So what’s the lesson here for our Six Sigma efforts? I think we fail on two fronts. First, we miss or destroy the advantages of our diversity. Second, we are not clear about what holds us together.
In most of the organizations I have worked with or worked for, the differences among the personnel are unknown. Sometimes those differences are known, but ignored. Sometimes those differences are penalized, as when there is favoritism in hiring, promotions, opportunities given, and support provided.
There is plenty of research that proves teams with members from various backgrounds with diverse skills are more creative and can make better, more informed decisions. My guess is that we frequently do not even know how the people connected to our Six Sigma effort are different from ourselves and from one another. Those differences probably represent strengths that would add to the success of our Six Sigma efforts.
As an example, a course I recently taught had a webmaster, two poets, and a felon in it. Those qualities were not part of the entry requirements for the course. We were able to take full advantage of all those skills and perspectives by learning together in remarkable ways that would have been impossible without that diversity.
The second lesson is about exploring and declaring what holds us together. It seems so simple but is frequently lacking.
Many organizations are not clear about what they are trying to do. They have no mission statement, no plans for strategic growth in place. Even when it is clearly stated, we frequently act as though unstated goals—such as short-term profits, “getting rich and getting out,” looking good, or getting promoted—are more important. It’s difficult to keep people on task when they’re not sure what the real goals are.
What we celebrate during a presidential inauguration may be the best of what we are as Americans. It may also represent the best of who we are as human beings. Celebrating and embracing our diversity because we hold sacred that which unites us might be one way to “find the good and praise it.”
As always, I treasure your comments and questions. You can reach me by commenting below.
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