Diversity: Leaders Not Labels: A New Plan for a the 21st Century - Hardcover

Graham, Stedman

3.62

8 ratings by Goodreads

9780743234375: Diversity: Leaders Not Labels: A New Plan for a the 21st Century

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0743234375 ISBN 13: 9780743234375

Publisher: Free Press, 2006

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Stedman Graham, bestselling author of You Can Make It Happen, teaches that in the 21st century your talent and skills above all else will define your value. In Diversity: Leaders Not Labels, Graham shows you how to break out of the box that keeps you from growing to your full potential, and reveals that success is truly based on results, performance, and excellence.

Diversity is literally changing the face of our nations. Workers of all backgrounds are merging into a global marketplace, while businesses are challenged by a shortage of talent and the need to integrate a wide range of cultures. In this global environment, diversity has become a permanent business characteristic; opportunities will be plentiful for both people and businesses. Graham indicates that we do not have to become a member of anyone else's culture to play a key role, but must maintain and assert our own identities while respecting others' uniqueness in our workforces and communities. He helps us to understand that developing leaders rather than accepting labels is ultimately the best way to preserve culture and create a legacy.

Diversity: Leaders Not Labels studies diversity as no one has before, exploring different cultures and their histories to help you understand that everyone has had challenges and that the transformation process is the same for each of us. Hard work, sacrifice, talent, and self-motivation are the tools you need for the future. By showcasing individuals who have successfully transcended labels to become leaders, Graham helps readers begin to move from their history to carving their own individual pathways to success, based on authenticity as well as the talents and skill they bring to the workforce.

"What is most important is breaking through labels and understanding who you are," says Graham. "Realize that everyone brings uniqueness, talents, and skills that add value to our experiences, work environments, businesses, and communities. When you operate from this perspective, you will emerge in the 21st century as a true leader to yourself, to others, and to society."

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About the Author:

Stedman Graham is chairman and CEO of S. Graham and Associates, a management and marketing consulting firm based in Chicago. He is the author of ten books, including two New York Times bestsellers. Graham lectures and conducts seminars for businesses and organizations around the country. He is a former adjunct professor at Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and is currently a visiting professor at several other universities. Active in philanthropy and community work, he is on the international board of Junior Achievement, is founder of Athletes Against Drugs, and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

FOREWORD

Why This Book?

As an educator and speaker, I am grounded by a fundamental message that I have conveyed over the years to organizations who've sought my help in building platforms for the personal and professional growth of their people: The world is a collection of unlimited wealth and resources. Often, we limit our potential by moving in our own small circles because of our fears. If we change the way we view the world, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

This sentiment is important to me because it represents a different kind of thinking -- a thinking that gives you the confidence that you can be, do, and accomplish anything.

Diversity: Leaders Not Labels is about changing the way we think about our possibilities, which is not just an option these days, it is a requirement. We are moving into an ownership society where we must become more accountable for how we are viewed and defined. The question can sometimes be ask "Who owns you?" The answer needs to be "I do."

Today we are challenged to keep reinventing ourselves while not limiting our potential as we work within the system. Growth and change do not always come easily because so many of us are programmed to stay in a box based on how we've been labeled.

We end up stuck in a routine, doing the same thing over and over, locked in place with no growth. While education is important, we get fooled into believing it's the principal tool for growth, as we memorize, take a test, get labeled with a grade and regurgitate information to teachers. Asked a couple weeks later what we learned, we've probably forgotten.

So how do you grow? How do you reinvent yourself when your core base is weak and you don't know who you are? How do you build that foundation for thinking and developing if you haven't defined yourself and taken control of your life? The millions of people of all races, backgrounds, and nationalities who have lost their personal control need to recognize the importance of regaining self-ownership and then learn a process to achieve that goal.

The law of the jungle is more applicable today than at any other time in our history: only the strong survive. As the world becomes more global and technology brings us closer together, our environment has become more diverse. Your transformation from a follower -- or someone's label -- to a leader in this competitive climate is a must.

And you must move quickly or you may not have a job. Tens of thousands of traditional manufacturing jobs have been lost and thousands of others are being outsourced or have been rendered obsolete. The business world is transitioning to a technology-based model. As job security, pensions, and other safety nets disappear, there are countless thousands who will find themselves thrust back in the workforce as free agents. People are also living longer, retiring later, and using up life savings that they once thought would be enough.

What is our twenty-first-century world -- the Information Age -- demanding? Talent, skills, performance, excellence, and results. A college education may get you in the door for an interview, but the real question will always be What do you bring to the table? What marketable skills do you have? Where does your expertise lie?

The twenty-first century is looking for people who can move past their history and into their imaginations. In the past, the business world's focus has only been on people who could help it improve the bottom line and increase sales. But the type of person who will succeed in this new work environment is one who can also transcend race and build relationships -- someone with a spirit of cooperation who is tolerant of others. This environment will require people who think before they react and who understand the consequences of their actions. It calls for self-respecting people who feel good about where they came from and don't apologize for who they are. And it calls for people who will continue to grow and develop and who will bring value to themselves and those they represent.

In Diversity: Leaders Not Labels, we will explore different cultures and their experiences to help you understand that everyone has had his or her own challenges and issues. You'll see that the process for growth and transformation are the same for everyone and that hard work, sacrifice, talent, and self-motivation are the tools for the future. In this book, we want to help people to transform and to respect others' uniqueness by first cultivating and respecting their own.

What makes us all equal is that we all have twenty-four hours. What's the question? "What do you do with your twenty-four hours?"