Employers: How Do You Define "The Best Person?"

For example, a middle-aged man with lots of industry knowledge and experience might still have trouble identifying with the way an African-American teenage girl makes purchasing decisions.  A twenty-something, or a twenty-something African-American woman, might have an easier time targeting the needs of that particular client base as they can better relate.  Working together, the two could put together a strategy and solution that works best for both the company and the customer.

One of my favourite topics, this, because it's that important.  There are still those who assume immigrants are stealing their jobs and that the hiring of employees of diverse backgrounds is biased against them.  They seem to think that skills are written in stone, immutable, and that the people involved in any transaction don't matter.  Or, they figure that sales is sales - if you're competitive enough, you can sell anything to anyone

Equally, there are those who blame residents in marginalized communities for not taking some risk and fighting back against criminals in their midst, or blame those of different faiths of disrupting social norms.

There's an old saying that bears repeating - don't judge someone 'til you've walked a mile in their shoes.

The same applies - or should apply - to everything we do in life.

When we learn about other cultures, speak other languages, eat other foods and practice other customs, we open up windows of understanding that enable to us do whatever social activity we're engaged in better.

Put it another way - you can't lead if you aren't willing to listen.  If you can't penetrate the world view of a client or a competitor, does it not make sense to gain some inside perspective?  New Canadians, those kids who "don't get how the real world works" and those who think different aren't problems to be solved, but rather opportunities to be harnessed.

That's not pandering; that's working smart.