Inclusion vs. Equity

In the conversation around the diversity of our organizations, we are often confused by the terms Inclusion and Equity.  My wise colleague Chris Macon likes to illustrate the difference with the metaphor of bleachers at a sporting event.  Let’s take a closer look.

If the fans in the bleachers represent the people in your organization, we can take a snapshot of everyone in their seats.  As you study the photo, do you see everyone represented? Is there a representative number of females (51% of the U.S. population)? What about people of color (38%)?  If the headcount of those two categories (race and gender) matches national statistics, then your organization is Inclusive.  That is, people are included in numbers representing the population.*

If most of the best seats—the ones in the front—are filled with whites and with males, then your organization is not Equitable.  The seats down in the front are the most expensive and represent the highest-paid workers.  Seat position represents power and seniority.  The seats at the top of the bleachers represent the lowest paid workers.  They also represent the last hired and the first to be fired in a downturn.  Take note of who is seated there.

Within your organization, who has access to the better seats and, therefore, has access to decision making?  If your snapshot is inclusive but not equitable, it’s time to ask what obstacles are in place that limit everyone’s access to the good seats.  Is your company, your school, or your nonprofit ready for the hard questions?  If so, give me a call so we can begin that conversation.

*Note: There are several elements of diversity not discussed here: age/generation, physical ability, sexual orientation, etc.  Some of these are visible in photographs, and some are not. These categories will add to your inclusion and equity conversation!

Unconscious Bias: How We Hurt Our Daily Interactions Without Knowing It

Today’s conversation around race and racism has moved beyond mere hateful acts of discrimination and bigotry.  Fortunately.  We are beginning to acknowledge that human beings respond to different races in unintended ways that are nonetheless biased and unfair.  In conversations regarding race and ethnicity, we now use the expression Implicit Bias or Unconscious Bias. For our discussion, these terms are interchangeable.  Two definitions are important.

Bias = prejudice or attitude against (or in favor of) one group of people compared with others, usually in an unfair way

Unconscious = not recognized, existing below our conscious awareness

We all have biases. 

Let me repeat.  We ALL have biases.  We were raised by parents and teachers and neighbors who tried their best to teach us.  They taught us useful things, but they also taught us their prejudices.  Sometimes this was by direct instruction: “Don’t hang out with kids from that neighborhood!”

Sometimes this was by unspoken example: They never invited people from other races to their gatherings.

Image: youtube.com

All the while they were teaching us, we were making mental notes.  When we became adults, we may have experienced contradictory examples, but we still held some values that we received as children.

Unconscious bias is a huge topic.  There are two examples of unconscious bias I’d like to look at today: orchestras and police departments.

Biases in Orchestra Membership

In the 1970s, U.S. orchestras were nine-tenths male.  In order to increase female membership, orchestra leaders started auditioning musician applicants behind a screen, so they could hear the playing but not see who was playing.  These “blind auditions” are believed to be responsible for a jump in female musician membership to around 35% two decades later.  If we believe that women can also be excellent musicians, why did past orchestras include so few women?  Well, if judges are used to seeing males playing in orchestras, they have an easy time choosing new musicians based on what they’ve experienced in the past.  It’s a bias they unconsciously held that influenced their hiring practices.  By using blind audition techniques, other industries now report similar results in the hiring of both women and racially underrepresented applicants.

image: Katry Cordes

Biases in Policing

Police officers, like all members of society, have grown up with messages about race.  The messages may have come from family members’ storytelling and stereotyping.  Messages may come from lived experience. They certainly also came from the media.  How are people of color, especially African Americans, portrayed in the media? Who is portrayed as powerful, in charge, innovative, responsible, or accomplished on the front page?  (This is something you can test out when you pass a newsstand.)  Answer: mostly whites (and most often males).  Who is portrayed as needing help or in trouble?  Answer: mostly people of color.

A word on brain function: our fear center is the amygdala, sometimes called our reptilian brain.  It does not analyze; it does not reason; it acts quickly to protect us.  It says “Run away!” or it says “Stand and fight!”  It is based on thousands of years of biological survival.  Now, if smart, good-willed police officers go to their jobs and need to assess emergency situations quickly, what information informs those decisions?  Quiet, rational reflections?  Or responses from the amygdala?  If we have hundreds of bits of input saying that black people, brown people are dangerous, how will we respond?

Why did a white police officer shoot 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2014 only two seconds after arriving at the park where Rice was playing with a toy gun? Would the officer have responded similarly if Rice had been white?  Policing statistics suggest no.

Michael Brown was shot six times by a white police officer in Ferguson, MO. (Image: wikipedia.com)

What Can We Do?

Given this frightening outcome—much more dangerous than discriminating against female orchestra applicants, what can we do? 

The first step is recognizing that we all have biases.  Where did we come from, what are our biases (surrounding race as well as other differentiating characteristics)? After we understand these roots, we can begin to put practices in place to override the natural biases we have accumulated in our lives.  Remember: It does no good to beat ourselves up; our history is our history.  What we do to educate ourselves for the future, however, is completely up to us. 

I invite you to join me in this conversation of identifying your blind spots––whether in hiring practices, promotions, discipline policy, and more––and then creating procedures that move your organization forward.  Call me today to set up an appointment to talk about your specific concerns.  No change happens without intentionality.  Let’s act on those intentions today.

These Really Are Great Lakes!

In a previous blog post, I shared many facts and tips about Michigan, the Great Lake State.  I would like to revisit this conversation for visitors who are looking at traveling here for the first time as well as native Michiganders who want to learn new things.

When visitors come to Michigan, they are amazed at the size of the Great Lakes, which seem more like seas because you cannot see across from one side to the other.  Below are five facts about the amazing bodies of water surrounding us here in America's North Coast.

Did You Know?

1. Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake. It is smaller than the Caspian Sea, but the Caspian is a saltwater lake with geological connections to the oceans (11 million years ago). Superior has more surface area than Lake Baikal (in Siberia), but Baikal is deeper and so has more water volume.

2. Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are connected at the Straits of Mackinaw.  Hydrologically speaking, they are actually one connected lake (larger than Lake Superior), but they are officially considered two lakes.

3. Lake Michigan is the largest lake within the United States.  The other four Great Lakes are shared by the U.S. and Canada.

4. The five Great Lakes are among the largest 12 freshwater lakes in the world:  1. Superior   2. Victoria (Africa)   3. Huron   4. Michigan   5. Tanganyika (Africa)   6. Baikal (Russia)   7. Great Bear Lake (Canada)   8. Malawi (Africa)   9. Great Slave Lake (Canada)   9. Erie   11. Winnipeg (Canada)   12. Ontario

5. The Great Lakes comprise 21% of all standing freshwater on earth. Lake Superior contains more water than the other four Great Lakes combined.  You can remember all fives names if you can spell HOMES: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.

For more information on these amazing lakes, read this article.

How We (Mis-)See the World

“Isn’t China is the country where...?”

                        “Latin Americans are always doing...”

                                                “I heard that people in Nigeria like to...”

Misperceptions.  Stereotypes.  Half-truths. We’ve all heard them.  And most likely, we’ve repeated a few of them.

Where do we get these ideas?  Well, when we have gaps in our knowledge, we rush to fill them in with any random tidbit we’ve seen in the media. Or worse, they’re misunderstandings we’ve heard from those around us who are similarly under-informed.  And instead of checking with experts, we pass them on.

Map by Alan Headbloom and Sarah Ignasiak

Above is a map full of such bad information and half-guesses about lands outside US-Americans’ personal experience.  It makes two observations: 1) When you come from a particular place, you idealize that place.  You refer to its customs as “right” or “logical.”  This makes you see other places as “backward” or “rude.”  The phenomenon is called ethnocentrism, and it is not restricted to residents of the United States.  Everyone grows up ethnocentric, thinking his/her country is the best.

2) We rely on hearsay, media, and others to form our views of foreign lands.  This makes us lump all “those people” into the same category.  Of course, when we make judgments that all Indonesians or Argentines have certain traits, we limit the chances of real Argentines or Indonesians to succeed in our presence because they will likely miss the marks that we’ve set for them.  (For a useful distinction between stereotypes and generalizations, go here.)

What is the solution to overcoming half-baked judgments about other people?  No way around it.  You need to get out in the world and meet those people.  Better yet, you will travel there and spend some time with real citizens in real places (not tourist traps).  Then you will engage them in real conversation and you will ask them how their lives work and what makes them tick.  The only way to drown out ignorance is through exposure.

Happy explorations, everyone!

“Patriotism is the belief your country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.”  – George Bernard Shaw

Racial Bias and “Othering” in a Michigan Parking Lot

This week I received an upsetting email from a Japanese friend I will call Kaori.  She was distressed over a minor traffic incident in her town in Michigan. She was in the drive-thru lane at the credit union to use the ATM when her minivan was bumped from behind. The driver behind her laid on the horn, so Kaori turned off the engine and went outside to look for damage. The driver, a 30-ish white female, was yelling at Kaori, criticizing her for backing into her car.  My friend tried to explain that she couldn’t have been backing up since her transmission was in drive and she was only applying the brake as the line inched forward.

Although there was no damage to either car, the woman continued her attack, saying Kaori should “consider yourself lucky [there was no damage]." As there was no damage, Kaori turned to go back to her vehicle. Yet, the woman persisted, "Don’t you know how to drive!? Go back to China!"

Shocked, and unfamiliar with such behavior, Kaori could only mutter, "Excuse me?" She realized she wasn’t obligated to explain that she was Japanese, not Chinese, but this first brush with racial discrimination had stung. She wondered later if she should have called the police or asked the credit union to check their security cam to identify this woman. Although her car was not damaged, Kaori’s sense of safety most certainly was. Suddenly, for the first time in a decade, she did not feel welcome in her adopted community.

Her concerns linger: would she run into this woman again at the grocery store...or at the community center...or her daughters’ school? Would other white people treat her poorly in public? She turned to a trusted American ally for help. What follows is my response.

Dear Kaori,

Three things come to mind.  First of all, I'm very sorry this happened to you. No one deserves to be treated so rudely.  And I'm very sad that a fellow Michigander behaved this way.

This woman was clearly out of bounds with her response.  Maybe she was having a bad day.  Maybe she has mental illness.  Worse, she possibly grew up (and still lives?) in a family where abusive, angry behavior are normal.  This is not the kind of thoughtful, gracious behavior we want to model for our kids. And we have higher aspirations for ourselves.  I'm sorry this person does not.

Finally, calling you Chinese is an act of "othering," of assigning you to a group she considers bad and outside her circles of inclusion.  When people, full of anger, reach into their bag of insults, they reveal to us the identities they consider most vile or unlike themselves.  Had it been someone who was gay, intellectually impaired, Muslim, obese, or black, I can easily imagine she would have pulled up labels like F*gg*t, the R-word, Terrorist, Fatso, or the N-word.  I blame people like Donald Trump for giving permission today to be so uncivil and bigoted in public.  However, those "othering" impulses are a fact of life.  We need to suppress those instincts and aspire to be more charitable.

Long-distance hugs,

Alan

If you were to make a teachable moment out of this event, what would you do?  Could you share this story with your children?  Would you perhaps take this to your children’s school teachers?  Maybe write a letter to the editor of the local paper? 

While this white woman’s behavior was unkind and bigoted, our goal is not to punish her. Our goal is to learn from such incidents and elevate our public discussions going forward.  In 2042, the U.S. census is predicted to see the white (Euro-American) population dip below 50%, meaning people of color will jointly be a racial majority.

The short-sighted understanding of our nation’s ethnic make-up is poignantly represented in this comment overheard in Kaori’s local Meijer store: "Our grandparents didn't come to this country to be overrun by immigrants."  After we are done cringeing, we must ask how we can acknowledge our evolving demographics in a mature and proactive way.

Please share with us your thoughts. Comments are welcome from immigrant and non-immigrant Americans alike.

5 Things That Are Wrong with Your Online Profile Photo

Do you have an online profile with LinkedIn or another networking website? How does your photo look? If it fits one of these descriptions, you need to change it. ASAP.

1. There isn’t one.  In real life, you are not a colorless silhouette.  Why do you present your professional self this way?  Unless you’re a participant in the national witness protection program, you need your mug out there for all the world to see.  “Stealth Networking” is an oxymoron.

LinkedIn labels this image “ghost_person”

2. The quality is horrible. Hello! This is your professional online calling card we’re talking about. Make this image look like someone that YOU would feel confident doing business with. Cheap, blurry, ill-composed shots imply you don’t care. This is business; you need to care.

Can you count how many things are wrong with this pic?

3. Your dog, friends, and family are in the picture.  Yikes, what were you thinking?  This isn’t Facebook; LinkedIn is a professional website.  Make yourself look professional.  If the norm in your industry is business attire, then wear that.  If you’re in an artistic profession, you can dress and look funky-interesting-artsy.  But leave your vacation pics out of this.

Do you take your kids to work with you?

4. Your head is compressed in unnatural ways.  Learn how to correctly size a photo for LinkedIn’s square formatting.  You don’t want to look both scary AND technologically incompetent.

Was your face compressed in vise? Did you just take off a 2-ton fedora?

5. Your face is too small or too dark.  Size matters in the world of photography.  So does lighting.  People want to see who they’re doing business with.  Head and shoulders.  Properly illuminated.  Unless you’re a professional weightlifter or stilt-walker, full-body shots are not a good idea.  If you aren't a film noir actor, you’re not permitted to hide in the shadows.

Bright window in background is really bad idea. Are you driving the co. van? We can’t see you!

Bottom line: Take the time to get a professional headshot taken. If you’re a poor student or a starving artist, you can certainly barter with a photographer friend. Offer to mow her lawn or edit his website in exchange for a good photo. That way, everyone wins...and looks better in the process!

Why Your Company Needs a Cultural Consultant*

Last week, DC Comics released Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #2 that included this page.  Did you notice anything wrong?

Linguists, world travelers, and geography buffs would immediately tell you there is no such language as “Pakistanian” (in Pakistan or the wider world).

The pitfalls of making assumptions: What does this goof tell us about the publishers at DC Comics?

1. They also think that the language of Canada is “Canadian,” folks in the USA speak “American,” and everyone in Mexico speaks “Mexican”?  (Their major tongues are English/French, English, and Spanish, respectively.)

2. That they have no interest in selling their product in global markets?

3. That their main product is dramatic animation and unrelated to language and culture?

Unfortunately, too many US-based companies don’t take the time to think about—or research—their products in the global marketplace.  They don’t look beyond their own limited cultural experience.  “If it works for me, it should work for everyone.”

The facts: The official indigenous language of Pakistan is Urdu; other major languages are Punjabi, Pashto, and Sindhi, according to Ethnologue.com. 

The opportunity: Given that English is also an official language of Pakistan, DC Comics has a chance to reach millions of young readers eager to consume vividly told stories in the global medium of English. 

The result: Unfortunately, DC’s cultural ineptitude is more likely to enhance readership for rival Marvel Comics, which has astutely created an actual superhero for this ethnic market (see image below).

Small-scale flub vs. Large-scale debacle: While DC’s miscue made the company look bad, it can be overcome.  Home Depot, on the other hand, lost $160 million when it misjudged the do-it-yourself culture of Chinese consumers.  After six years of losses, the American DIY chain closed all of its stores in China, discovering too late that the people there preferred to have someone “do it for me” instead.  What is the inverse sound of ka-ching?

As you look at your business model, where are you making assumptions that have no basis in cultural fact in foreign markets?  If you invest in an ounce of prevention, a cultural consultant could save you from that expensive pound of cure.

*Or at least have an intern who can check stuff on Wikipedia.

  Kamala Khan, Pakistani-American teenage superhero from New Jersey, is also Muslim.

Cultural Traditions and Body Parts

One of my students from Japan became a new father this year.  During a class, he showed me the small wooden box that Japanese parents use to save a newborn baby’s umbilical cord once it falls off of the baby’s stomach.  I had heard of the tradition before but told him that Americans didn’t do that; in fact, most Americans would think it strange--or even unpleasant--because it was a dried, blackened piece of skin.

Of course, these kinds of customs are not necessarily logical; they are traditional.  Take, for instance, the U.S. tradition of the tooth fairy: when American children lose a tooth, they put it under their pillow and wake up to find it replaced by money, supposedly left by the fairy who buys up deciduous teeth.  The Japanese, on the other hand, take a lost tooth and throw it away.  If it comes from the lower mouth, they will throw it up onto the rooftop; an upper tooth is thrown underneath the house—with no reward for the child, either up or down.

These traditions reminded me that my parents saved a lock of hair from my first haircut in a plastic bag inside my baby book of memorabilia.  (We did not continue this custom for our children, and I am unaware if other families do this today.)  Why do Americans save such items?  Perhaps it is our preoccupation of celebrating “firsts” in a person’s life.

At the other end of life, Americans who cremate their relatives after death will sometimes store the ashes (called “cremains”) in a special container in their house.  My wife has saved the cremains of all her past pets in small engraved boxes; she has instructed us to place the boxes in her casket so she can be buried with all her beloved dogs’ ashes.

Cremation urns come in many shapes, colors, and materials, including metal, ceramic, and wood. They may be displayed or kept in a private pace in the home. Some urns are also buried or placed in a mausoleum.

Does your culture have special traditions with regard to body parts? Share them with me, along with the explanations of those traditions.  I’ll post them in a future blog for all our readers.

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Note on other body parts: In the past, Americans have believed that a rabbit’s foot was a good-luck charm. People would buy the severed paw of a rabbit and attach it to their keychains for good luck. The paws were dried, and the fur was often dyed in bright colors. This association of good luck comes from the African-American tradition of hoodoo.  (As many will point out, the rabbit who gave up his paw was not lucky at all!)

The Global Travelers' Ten Commandments

Successfully Managing Intercultural Relationships

Our 21st world is indeed shrinking.  From Montreal to Mumbai, from Sydney to São Paulo, our global business partners are just a conference call away. However, our rapid advances in technology have outpaced our ability to successfully communicate across those time zones.  In a headlong rush to do business, we mishear, we misjudge, and we miscommunicate.  To mitigate these costly misunderstandings, we need to remind ourselves of five basic rules of communicating across cultures.

1. Know where you come from.

First and foremost, you must understand yourself and your own cultural silo. While we all have our unique personalities, experiences, and life decisions, they are molded by the cultural programming of our youth and young adulthood.  What's critical to understand is that the core of your judgments and values come from your cultural roots.  Your perceptions and assumptions are based on the teachings of your parents, neighbors, and teachers.  Are they universal?  No, but we assume they are because they establish our earliest core of understanding our world. To begin to comprehend the values and behaviors of the new tribes and cultures you work with, you must first understand what lies at the foundation of your own belief system.

   “Know thyself.” – Socrates

2. Be less certain.  

Your international counterparts have reasons for their beliefs and behaviors.  Just like you, they grew up listening and conforming to role models who told them the “right” way to do things.  You will be able to avoid a lot of cultural misunderstanding if you adopt an attitude of flexibility. Before you rush to negative judgment, ask yourself if your global partners are possibly playing by a different (also fervently held) set of rules.  The greater the cultural differences, the more cautious you will need to be in your early interactions.  Of course, you can maintain your certainty about professional standards; you studied long and hard to earn your technical certifications.  But when it comes to matters of culture, open-mindedness will get you farther than rigidly insisting on your worldview.

3. Focus more on the people. 

Of course, you have a job to do.  You are tasked with specific assignments, and they need to get done.  Unfortunately, many U.S.-Americans focus so much on work that they neglect the people involved. By contrast, most world cultures value relationship ahead of task.  If these people feel they don’t know or trust you, they can’t work comfortably with you.  Take time to nurture relationships with your global counterparts, which are seen as lasting; deals, on the other hand, are temporary.  Lose the mindset, “It’s not personal, it’s just business.”  For much of the world, everything is personal.

4. Be slow to speak, quick to listen. 

Two thousand years ago, Epictetus observed that we have two ears and one mouth and should use those organs in proportion.  And don’t rush to fill the silence of a conversation when perhaps your counterparts are using that silence to communicate.  When you leave a conversation, don’t assume your intentions were understood.  Ask for confirmation of your thoughts and paraphrase what you understood from others. In a second language, meanings can get misunderstood.  Written notes, numbers, and diagrams can be read (and re-read) slowly to help confirm what each party meant to say.

“Seek first to understand, then be understood.”  – Steven Covey (inspired by St. Francis of Assisi)

5. Take a deep breath. 

You’re not going anywhere; your counterparts aren’t either, so slow down.  If you are in a hurry, something will get missed.  Intercultural communication does take longer than your usual monocultural interactions.  Remember, you are developing new skills in this arena, and that takes patience.  Blustering ahead causes mistakes, which then require more time to fix later.  As with all learning curves, the more practice that you have at interacting, the better you will get.  Happily, patience is not only a virtue; it will also lower your blood pressure!

North American Names: Just Joking

Earlier this week, I was talking with two Californians, Warner Henson and Praveen Shanbhag. We were discussing ways to teach people to respect the names of others, especially names that are hard to pronounce. This is a daily conversation for those two, who are co-founders of NameCoach.

I had interviewed Praveen eaerlier in the year, and he shared stories about growing up as an immigrant kid and his family’s struggle with names.  You can listen to his interview here.

If you’re curious how to get “difficult” names right, you can get tips from this 3-minute video.

Although Praveen, Warner, and I are serious about names, we also recognize that you can’t be serious all the time. In that spirit, I share below some of my favorite name riddles. Can you guess the answers to them? (The first two are given to help you get the idea.)

1. What do you call a guy who gives you an invoice?  Answer: Bill

2. What do you call a woman in a Jacuzzi?  Answer: Beth

3. What do you call a guy who hangs on museum walls?

4. What do you call a woman who will consider your proposal?

5. What do you call a guy lying outside your front door?

6. What do you call a guy adrift in the ocean?

7. What do you call a woman with a nickname?

8. What do you call a guy who is very blunt? 

Write us to share your answers. Also, please share your favorite name riddle with us. There are many we don’t Noah yet.

Podium? Lectern? What's the Difference?

Many English speakers confuse lecterns and podiums. A lectern is the piece of furniture that holds up a public speaker's notes, and the speaker stands behind it. At press conferences, an adjustable microphone is usually attached to the front of the lectern.  

A podium, in contrast, is the elevated platform that raises the speaker up for increased audience visibility. If you are a speaker, be careful as you mount the podium.  If you trip and fall, you will not make a good first impression on your audience.  (You may also injure yourself!)

Photo source: Toastmasters International

You can remember the difference between the two in this way:

A LECTERN is the device that holds your lecture notes. People give lectures from behind a lectern.

The word PODIUM comes from podion, the Greek word for foot; you stand on the podium with your feet. (Your foot doctor is a podiatrist.)

podium image from fotolia.com

A more formal word for podium is dais (pronounced DAY-iss).  You might use this word in a scabble game or to impress your friends with your big vocabulary!  (Other synonyms: platform, stage, podium, rostrum, stand.)

Accommodating Ramadan in the American Workplace

by Kemal Hamulic

[Note: this blog has been updated to reflect the current year's dates and times.]

Being mindful and respectful of your employees’ needs in the workplace can ensure a happy workforce, increased employee satisfaction, and better productivity. Sometimes, even just showing an interest in the background of an employee can motivate that individual to try harder. For employers with a diverse workforce, it is especially important to keep up on current events.

One such event is the religious observation of Ramadan. For 2017, May 27 is the first day of fasting that will continue for Muslims worldwide for the next 31 days. It culminates in the holy day of Eid-al-Fitr, celebrating the end of the religious fast.

"Ramadan kareem" is an Arabic greeting meaning "Happy Ramadan," which can be used with your Muslim co-workers or friends.

For American human resource managers with employees who practice Islam, there are two important considerations to ease this month of fasting for them: prayer time and the physical challenges of fasting.

First, you need to know that observant Muslims pray five times a day. The actual prayer times are calculated based on several factors, one of them being geographical location. The times vary and are affected by changes in the hours of sunrise and sunset. For our town of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the dawn prayer on May 27, the first day of fasting, starts around 4:25 am, and the sunset prayer starts around 9:15 pm. At the end of the month, these prayer times shift: 4:20-ish am for the dawn prayer and 9:30-ish pm for the sunset prayer on June 26. (Click here for a prayer timetable.)

Those who fast will not be able to eat or drink ANYTHING between the dawn and sunset prayer times.

Here are six recommendations that will help your employees during these fasting times and beyond:

1. Prayer Let Muslim employees know that there is a quiet room available for them to pray.
2. Stress Try to adjust work schedules and work duties for observant Muslims to help them work without the need to hydrate or eat.
3. Food Offer to make reasonable adjustments for storing food during Ramadan. This is primarily important for those who will be working after the sunset prayer, that is, third-shift employees. Very often, Muslims bring home-made food prepared exclusively for this occasion. This food is halal (similar to kosher) and is taken at certain times. Letting employees go to the break room at a specific time, or having them keep a small food box at their work station are examples of what can be done.
4. Clothing Try to be flexible regarding dress codes; if there are situations or areas where flexibility is not possible (for safety reasons, etc.), make an effort to explain company policy and rationale to your Muslim employees. Then, importantly, be consistent with all other employees and their religious needs.
5. Other Employees Address the issue of fasting with non-Muslim employees to make sure that it is not interpreted as a sign of religious favoritism. In the past, some Americans have interpreted religious accommodations as “preferential treatment” for Muslim employees. 
6. Scheduling Make advance scheduling arrangements to ensure there are enough employees to cover the workload on the last day of fasting. Observant Muslims will try to get a day off on this day.

Understand that different ethnic groups take different approaches and use different standards of Islamic observance. You can compare this to your Christian or Jewish family and friends: some are much more observant and some much less. In the case of Muslims, you may find a devoted Saudi believer who will not drink alcohol, eat pork, or smoke, while you may find among Bosnian Muslims that some do not mind smoking and will be flexible on that rule, while fully observing all others.

In explaining the concept of accommodation to non-Muslim employees, help them remember that a flexible workplace tries to work with everyone’s needs:

• A nursing mother may need a private space to express milk at break time.
• A colostomy patient may need the privacy of a single-use restroom to change a stoma bag.
• Catholic workers may wish to have off on Good Friday.

I should emphasize the value of diversity in this working arrangement. For example, non-Christian employees might well volunteer to work on traditionally Christian religious holidays in exchange for having days off for their own holidays. It is a win-win situation for employers.

If explanations are clear and employees understand that all of us work best when we are respected and accommodated, all are prepared to give their best effort and succeed for the company.

___________________________________________________
A 1997 refugee to the United States, Kemal Hamulic has been working with minority groups on various levels for over a decade. His encounters range from community outreach work to diplomatic interpreting to international business negotiations. His formal education includes a Bachelor’s degree in international business and a Master’s in finance. Kemal has extensive experience living abroad and speaks fluent English, Bosnian, and German and is proficient in French. He has given seminars and prepared workshops on the topic of diversity for government agencies and private entities.

Here, Kemal talks with Alan during a 2013 interview for "Feel Like You Belong" in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

June is Immigrant Heritage Month!

Immigrant Heritage Month (IHM) is a nationwide effort to gather and share inspirational stories of immigration in America to celebrate our country’s immigrant heritage – stories of individuals, families, and communities who have contributed to the unique social fabric of a country whose greatness is fueled by its diversity. IHM honors a United States that is fueled by immigrants from around the world and the ways in which America and the immigrants who have built our country are linked in a shared, productive history. Learn more about the campaign and Immigrant Heritage Month by visiting www.welcome.us.

Is Your Culture Flat or Hierarchical?

The United States has class boundaries.  There are CEOs and worker bees.  The upper crust and the average Joe.

But Americans rankle at the notion that the rich and powerful are better than we are.  We like to think of our country as egalitarian.  The elite may have more money than we have, but our culture says they’re not better than we are. 

We often see a culture’s orientation in the expressions it uses to convey an idea. Take a look at these American English expressions.

Get off your high horse!

Who died and made him Pope?

She’s not the boss of me.

Look at Mr. High & Mighty there!

Don't get too big for your britches.

Don't get above your raising.

Do you think you’re better than everyone else?

He thinks his shit don’t stink.

Who does she think she is?

Don’t you be putting on airs. 

In leadership positions, executives are expected to "pitch in," to be a “regular guy,” to be one of the team.  Take for example, multi-millionaire Mitt Romney and his 2012 presidential campaign.  He often tried to downplay his wealth by attending campaign events in blue jeans and an open-collared shirt.  He was filmed handing out food to victims in New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy. 

Brian Snyder/Reuters

In an earlier blog post, I talked about Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris and his willingness to humble himself at a public event showcasing the company’s commitment to clean water.  On the other side, CEOs run the risk of sounding arrogant and uncaring, as did British Petroleum chairman Carl-Henrik Svanberg after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. 

Americans prefer their leaders to be humble and willing to mingle with everyone in the company. To members of hierarchical cultures, this may seem undignified and unobservant of obvious class distinctions.

Does your culture lean egalitarian or hierarchical?  Here is a chart to show tendencies toward sharing power (flatter cultures) or concentrating power (hierarchical cultures).*  Where is your home culture?

                                                                       * based on TMA’s Country Navigator (scale of 1-10)

More important, now, what do you do with this information? Well, if you’re working on a project with a person from a culture with a big gap in hierarchy, you will want to watch out. For example, if your boss comes from a much more hierarchical background, you may feel your skills and judgment aren't appreciated, that you’re being micromanaged instead of left alone to figure out good solutions.  If your boss comes from a flatter culture than yours, you may think he/she isn’t giving you enough direction or is incapable of decision-making.

Before making negative judgments about a client or co-worker or manager from another culture, ask yourself if they are operating under a different model.  It could be their behavior is appropriate—in another setting!

Shaman for Expats? The Grasshopper!

What life force guides the expatriate?  From where does s/he draw wisdom?  I nominate the Grasshopper.

Wisdom of the Grasshopper/Locust:     

• Jumps across space and time

• Takes leaps of faith

• Has ability to change careers quickly 

• Leaps over obstacles

• Jumps without knowing where it will land

• Takes new leaps forward

Is the Super Bowl Really a Big Deal?

Newcomers to the United States ask, "Is the Super Bowl really a big deal?"

In a word, yes!  It is the single biggest TV event of the year in the United States. 

In one game, a national sports champion is decided.  In our three other major team sports (baseball, basketball, hockey), there is a best-of-seven game playoff.  This one game is for all the marbles: the winner is crowned, the loser is quickly forgotten.

Sports fans are buying beer, soda pop, snacks, and much more this weekend.

Supermarkets and party stores are crowded this weekend as fans stock up for their home viewing parties.  Sports bars and restaurants with TVs will be full of viewers who want to watch the game with other sports fans. 

If you have not been invited to attend a game watch party, you have two options.  First, you can invite people to your house to watch.  (If your invitees are hosting their own party, they may invite you to join them!)  Second, you can go to your local sports bar to watch both the game and the Americans who are cheering: sports AND culture in the same place!

What to do if you don’t like football?  Watch the game anyway.  Advertisers will show their best and most creative ads during this event.  (You can go to the fridge or the bathroom while the game is playing.)  Watch the halftime show.  It will be very splashy. 

7 Things You Need to Know:

1. The two teams playing are the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots (West Coast vs. East Coast).

2. The Seahawks won last year’s Super Bowl.  They have a very tough defense.

3. The Patriots are playing in their 6th Super Bowl since 2000.  They have a great offense.

4. New England’s quarterback, Tom Brady is one of the best all-time NFL quarterbacks, he is a University of Michigan graduate (Go Blue!), and he is married to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen.

5. New England is accused of cheating their way into the Super Bowl.  During the semi-final game against Indianapolis, they are accused of changing the inflation of the game ball to help with throwing and catching under rainy conditions.

6. Superstar Katy Perry will sing at the halftime show. 

7. Each member of the winning team gets $97,000.  Losing team members get $49,000.  Not a bad payday for either side!

New Vocabulary:

all the marbles = everything, in this case: all the glory, the whole championship

be crowned = be publicly recognized as the leader, receive the trophy

splashy = impressive, showy

Monday Morning Update:

Final score: New England 28, Seattle 24

In a see-saw battle, New England scored with about 2 minutes left.  The Patriot defense then intercepted a Seahawks pass at the goal line to preserve the victory with 20 seconds remaining. This was New England's fourth national championship in 14 years.

The Starfish Flinger

As an old man walked the beach at dawn, he noticed a young girl ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea.  Finally catching up with the youth, he asked why she was doing this.  The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left until the morning sun.

"But the beach goes on for miles, and there are millions of starfish," countered the other.  "How can your effort make any difference?"

The youth looked at the starfish in her hand and then threw it to safety in the waves.  "It makes a difference to this one," she said.

Vocabulary

starfish = a sea animal in the shape of a five-pointed star

to fling = to throw or flip

stranded = stuck in an unwanted location

countered = argued, offered a differing opinion

December cultural events

In the U.S., there are two widely recognized holidays in December: Advent/Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Christmas Day is a national holiday on which banks and governmental offices (most notably post offices) are closed. New Year’s is observed in personal lives to varying degrees. Most businesses are closed on both days.

Advent: This Christian “holiday” is actually a four-week period leading up to Christmas. This season celebrates the anticipation of the birth of Jesus, announced in the Jewish Bible (called the Old Testament by Christians). The decorating color is purple, and each Sunday of Advent is celebrated by lighting a special candle and lessons based on four themes: hope, peace, love, and joy.

Christmas Eve: Christian families often go to church on Christmas Eve. Early-evening services may include a Christmas “pageant” (or play) where children wear Middle Eastern clothing of 2000 years ago and act out the Christmas story of Jesus’ parents arriving in Bethlehem, finding only accommodation in a barn, and having their son born there. The main characters in the play are Mary and Joseph (the parents), area shepherds, three visiting kings (called Wise Men), and angels. Sometimes a live baby is used, but more often (and more safely) a wrapped-up doll is used.

A late-evening service is sometimes held at church where the Christmas story is told, Christmas carols (hymns) are sung, and candles are lit and held by each participant. Back at home, some families exchange gifts with each other on Christmas Eve. This is the evening when Santa Claus visits houses with small children and leaves them gifts.  A favorite holiday tradition is reading aloud of a classic poem, “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Moore.  When my daughters were growing up, we used to read aloud from the 1971 story, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

Christmas Day: Some American families wait until Christmas morning to exchange gifts. Small children, usually eager with anticipation, wake up early and pester their parents into checking under the Christmas tree in the family room for evidence of Santa’s visit. Many families travel across town or across the country to visit relatives on Christmas Day. Huge feasts are cooked and enjoyed. Interestingly, this is also a day when many Americans go out to movie theaters. Many businesses are closed for the entire week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. School and universities often have a 2- or 3-week holiday at this time.

New Year’s Eve: People in the U.S. often gather with friends to celebrate the coming of the new year. Parties may include food, drinking alcohol, and music. Public parties may have live bands and dancing. In New York City, hundreds of thousands gather in Times Square to watch a large, illuminated globe lowered from on high. Attendees count down from ten to one. Millions more watch the countdown on their televisions at home. After the countdown, people shout “Happy New Year,” hug, kiss, and express optimism over the incoming year.

New Year’s Day is when Americans visit friends and family.  College sports fans can feast their eyes from morning to late night, watching parades and football games on TV.

Other events this month: the end of the fall semester at most universities; office parties; decorating homes and businesses for Christmas; shopping for Christmas presents; writing and mailing Christmas cards

Do you have questions about Christmas holiday customs and etiquette?  Write us so we can help you understand what your co-workers and neighbors are doing.

American Events in November: Thanksgiving

In the U.S., there are three nationally observed events in November: Election Day, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It commemorates the first successful harvest of the early European settlers in Massachusetts and was an opportunity for them to give thanks for good weather, cooperation with local native Americans, and enough food to survive the oncoming winter.

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner (photo: Wikipedia)

Schools and businesses are closed for the day. Because the holiday is on Thursday, it gives most Americans a four-day weekend, so many people use this opportunity to travel back to their hometowns. Nationally, it is the busiest travel week for airlines. College students go home to be with family. Homeless shelters serve turkey and other traditional food. In addition to eating and visiting, Americans watch morning parades and afternoon football games on TV.

Oven-roasted turkey (photo: Wikipedia)

The most traditional meat served that day is turkey (although some eat ham). Americans typically eat too much that day, and tables are full to overflowing with special casseroles, potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, gravy, rolls or corn bread. The most common dessert is pumpkin pie, but apple and mincemeat pies are also common.

The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday.  It is the busiest shopping day of the year, as early birds line up in pre-dawn hours to take advantage of limited-time sales. Black Friday is the first official shopping day for those getting ready for Christmastime giving.  Because this day is one where retailers operate in the black (black ink--as opposed to red--signifies profits), some people believe this is the origin of the name.  Actually, the name Black Friday was used by the police department in Philadelphia to refer to the work day after Thanksgiving where the streets and stores were crowded and work shifts were terrible.  It had such a bad reputation that many police officers called in "sick" instead of reporting for their shift.