Manila, 12 January 2022 — On becoming an inclusive leader who engages diversity.

Story

It happened in 1945. That is when, in the story of Indonesia’s independence, the phrase Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) was first proposed as the country’s motto. Later, it was inscribed into the national emblem and incorporated into the constitution. This diversity motto was, however, not created on the spot. The story goes back to a poem written seven hundred years ago, when there was tension between the country’s Hindu and Buddhist populations. 

In writing the stanzas that contain the motto, Mpu Tantular, a 14th-century poet, encouraged tolerance between people who followed these two great traditions at the time, saying that the truth of Buddhism and the truth of Hinduism, while appearing different, were of the same kind, and that “there is no duality in Truth.” This insight was, and remains, important to a country that may well be the most diverse in the world, with more than 17,000 islands, more than 200 ethnic groups, more than 300 spoken languages, and a rich diversity of religions and beliefs.

Today, Indonesia is a living, yet often understated, testament to its national motto, and a potential role model to inspire countries, organizations, and businesses that want to find unity and strength in diversity. Is it easy to follow the example of the Indonesian people? No, it is not. But is it possible? Yes, I believe it is, and there are good reasons for doing it. So do come along to explore more about diversity and how leaders can work with it.

Challenge

People are different. Depending on your worldview and way of thinking, this realization can be scary, annoying, or liberating. There is, however, no way to make progress in finding strength in diversity unless we first face up to the fact that people are different, often in more ways than we think. This week, George Seo, a former foreign minister of Singapore, Indonesia’s neighbor, suggested that diversity can lead to “everybody being bigger in accepting others who are not like themselves.” Elaborating, he explained that diversity, and how to relate to each other, was “something to think deeply about,” starting with knowing who we are ourselves. I agree. Too often, I have observed how leaders assume that the people they meet and speak to are like them and think like them when, most of the time, they are different.

Taking inspiration from Indonesia’s motto, we are well advised to expand our awareness, starting with our knowledge of ourselves as Mr. Seo suggested. Thankfully, research from the past decades can help us on many fronts. We know much more about recognizing differences of many kinds, including those ‘under the surface’ that we cannot see by how a person looks and dresses. For example, how people think in different ways, express their multiple intelligences differently, and have different worldviews. As a useful exercise, you might want to take some time to write down as many ways as possible in which people around you can be different from you. How many ways can you come up with?

Interestingly, while politics and religion are often said to trigger a sense of division, the world’s wisdom traditions can help us to see and celebrate diversity in each other. In Buddhism, we practice awareness, compassion, and refraining from judgment. In Christianity, we see one family where each member is loved and respected for playing their unique role. In Dao, we see ourselves as part of Nature, connected like an organism and knowing that each function is equally important. In Hinduism, we act different parts in a cosmic play that lights up each of our roles with color and mystery. In Islam, we wish peace on everyone we meet and practice compassion and respect for each other. And in Zen, we adopt a beginner’s mind to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary, in each of us and in every moment.

Question

As a leader, where are you in recognizing the differences in the people in your team, your business, your organization? Can you, like the poet hinted, see signs of Unity in Diversity from a deeper sense of truth with the people you work with, around you? And what are you doing to recognize, welcome, and build on that diversity with inclusive leadership skills and behaviors? 

To become an inclusive leader, using your expert mind is not enough. You probably know the adage, “To the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind, there are few.” The problem with using your expert mind is that it makes you highly focused on your expertise, not someone else’s. In my experience, you need to tap both the expert’s mind and the beginner’s mind, and to alternate between the two many times a day, like with Yin Yang.

Going back to our story about Indonesia’s motto of Unity in Diversity, what I learned is that it is often a challenge in workplaces to recognize and celebrate diversity in others when most of the time is spent in the expert’s mind, focusing on results, efficiency, and productivity. There are high costs to missing out on diversity. You lose, your team loses, and so does your company or organization. To avoid missing out on the possibilities that come from appreciating and building on diversity, what will it take for you to become an inclusive leader? If you’re not sure where to start, why not answer the question of how many ways of diversity in people you can come up with? Then reach out and let me know.