Inclusion on the slopes #3: The Illusion
When I was writing the interview with Derrick Washington long-time skier and snowboarder, it made me begin to assess the need for not only emotional intelligence on the slopes but also cultural intelligence. He was very expressive about his interactions and his ability to be self-assured, and I felt others would feel inspired by his perspective. This level of awareness doesn’t just happen; it develops over time. If people aren’t put in situations where they develop them, they get uncomfortable and insecure when their interpersonal skills are tested. It’s like lifting a 120 lbs weight for the first time, without building our strength level, it can be a challenge. Information needs to get out to the people that need it the most, and in my opinion everyone can grow by mitigating those insecurities.
Our world is changing and there will be no majority race here soon because we are beginning to interconnect, 15 % of babies born currently are of mixed ethnicity, and this number will continue to increase[2]. Inclusion is the future; it is the only way simply because we are doing it anyway. My question to you, is what if we could do it intentionally? I think we can.
Plus, from the research that I have conducted, there are levels in obtaining this ability. It begins with general intelligence, emotional intelligence and lastly cultural intelligence. In this article, the intention is to provide steps and processes to transition from general intelligence to cultural intelligence, utilizing this transition as an interpersonal skill, while applying it to a difficult industry for this endeavor such as the ski industry.
From general intelligence to cultural intelligence
The evolution of inclusion is a rather progressive one. Several models exist, and most recently, I have been fascinated by the Inclusion Illusion. Inclusion Illusion is the idea that we really can’t be inclusive with our layers of blind spots and unconscious biases. The issue is that we believe that inclusion is a destination, and it is not. It is a journey. It’s progressive, and when we begin to see people as people instead of labels, that is when the inclusion journey begins, and we gain insight on acknowledging people as people [14]. The reason why I wanted to use this segment as the third article series is because I want to present the case that exclusion is needed for inclusion to work, and it is an illusion if you only focus on one side of the spectrum.
To explain this perspective, a person must first include themselves around others, then exclude themselves to gain the necessary insight to determine how they are engaging with another person and if that engagement is fruitful. If it is not, what needs to be done differently? And if something does need to be done, are those skills easily accessible? This article will further explain. Also, I want to expand our current focus on emotional intelligence to our now present need for cultural intelligence by starting with general intelligence.
General intelligence
The general synopsis with inclusion is that it is an illusion because some efforts are futile. There is a discussion of inclusion by many, but there aren’t plans, nor action taken to progress towards it. Also, biased behaviors go unnoticed and not discussed in a way that produces healthy outcomes, so the cycle continues[5]. For example, let’s consider the ski industry. There have been several mentions from the CEO’s of the major ski resorts stating that they want more diversity, but even as I have asked others in the minority community, they reply that the ski resorts state it but they really don’t want it. They just like to talk about it. I found that fascinating, and I can see that perspective. I also see an opportunity through their statements. It’s kind of as if we are all in or all out and we don’t know how to be both. We have to be able to be inclusive and exclusive simultaneously, which may be highly confusing. I will address the cyclical nature of this behavior.
When we engage in inclusion and exclusion we must be aware when we reach a personal interpersonal capacity. Therefore, when we do, we need to use our internal compass to make a more accurate assessment of what we are feeling in that moment, which is our emotions, to make adjustments. Our interpersonal capacity is the chance to distinguish and modify our emotions and behaviors to achieve goals through social interactions [6]. We then need to exclude ourselves. Hence we create a cycle where we interact (inclusion), and we then reflect on that interaction (exclusion). It then becomes iterative and we do it consistently.
Modifying behavior and feelings are the challenges to creating inclusion and even most importantly seeing the value in altering that behavior, because we don’t emphasize the power of reflection. We are so go, go, go, and reflection is one of the most powerful tools for inclusion that we don’t utilize. There is value in our reflection, and I will show you why and how by first addressing three key fundamentals as you progress to emotional intelligence.
1. Assess your current knowledge of developing relationships. What is your framework? Are you well-versed on the basic fundamentals of relationship building?
2. Revisit experiences that are a barrier to creating a connection.
3. Bridge the gap of your own inclusion illusion. Can you accept that it is a journey?
Now on to emotional intelligence.
Understanding Emotional intelligence
Most recently, I have been reading this book entitled Stop Overreacting. It’s a book that informs us how our brains are wired and how the section of our brain that transmits emotions is disconnected from the logical side of the brain [7]. This explanation is one of the main reasons that many will say and can say, I don’t know what came over me. It was emotions. I think that is the reason why so many just like the CEO’s from the ski industry confess the desire for diversity but are triggered emotionally when faced with the truth of this concept. Emotional responses are expected. Hence this is also the reason why people often state they feel like their emotions just took over because more than likely they did. Emotional intelligence is important because emotionally intelligent employees can interact and engage with employees while valuing individual differences [8].
This lack of awareness is one of the reasons why it is highly significant that we become more prepared. Before we can understand another’s emotional state, I want to challenge our ability to feel our own emotional state. Feel it and allow it to be. That’s not easy. Even when people interact with others and make offensive statements, they are unaware why they receive the response that they do. Some are intentional some are unintentional. If they are unaware of their own emotions, I would imagine they are unaware of someone else’s emotions. Does that make sense? Realize our values that influence our emotions and interactions with one another, moving past explicit discrepancies will enable us to unpack the values that bind us [9].
1. Assess your values when it comes to inclusion with probing questions.
2. Be honest with yourself if you are comfortable or uncomfortable around people, unlike yourself.
3. Assess the value in human connection within your core values.
4. Determine capacity to adapt to new cultural settings and base it on multiple facets which include cognitive, motivational, and behavioral features [7].
Cultural intelligence application
The reason I speak on these specific topics is that I continue to revisit them myself. I recognize that not everyone wants inclusion. I see why, because there is a lot to unpack. I also understand that exclusion serves its purpose in this context, so we can step away and repair some of our experiences. I think sometimes people believe their values are set in stone, but our values are challenged every day. Some remain while some evolve. We are ever-evolving beings. It’s not over until we leave this earth. I hope we all can see that. To successfully incorporate inclusion, we have to be willing to include the head, the heart, and the body [7]. It is an iterative process that doesn’t happen overnight, but it can happen when we allow ourselves to face the challenges, and learn from our relationships. Inclusion is the only way whether we want to acknowledge it or not, it’s happening.
Cultural intelligence impact
Cultural intelligence assists organizational members in dealing with and interacting with a diverse customer base [7]. From a leadership perspective, leadership styles have to adjust based on these cultures, and there are levels to this adjustment [11]. The four critical levels of cultural intelligence are metacognition, cognition, motivational, and behavioral [9].
1. Determine the process a person uses to navigate, grasps information, and knowledge [9]. Each person travels through various levels to gain perspective. Identify yours. How do you process information and what are your needs?
2. Establish the level of knowledge possessed on another culture and the ability to use that information [7]. Many times this happens on two sides, one where we become arrogant in feeling that we understand another persons culture therefore we don’t get to know them or we don’t feel the desire to learn it all. We have to assess our make up.
3. Assess the ability to be inspired to make the necessary changes to take purposeful action, therefore the internal motivation [12]. Thinking about what is causing you to resist fostering inclusion? Is it fear, previous experiences, parental influences, etc? What’s holding you back?
4. Last, adjust behavior to adopt culturally-appropriate actions [9]. Begin to use the knowledge you possess and seek out feedback. Ask questions or even be conscious of the response you receive. And when you are done, do it all over again.
In conclusion, learning these behaviors can streamline our efforts to create inclusion on the slopes. The intention isn’t to get to inclusion; the purpose is to progress on the inclusion journey. We need to be able to measure our ability to comfortably and successfully engage with other cultures [13]. It will continue as people continue to evolve and it’s not going away. Every day is a chance to continue to be more progressive.
We have an opportunity where we have a choice whether we can continue to be the best we can be by preparing for what is to come or be shocked as it continues to evolve. The overall purpose for creating more cultural intelligence is to not only generate more opportunities for ourselves but to increase the revenue for our employers, which results in opportunities for us as well [13]. My angle is to progress because it happens whether we are prepared or not. I’d rather be proactive than reactive. The illusion of inclusion is the progression from our general intelligence to cultural intelligence, therefore it’s not an illusion, it’s living and breathing and its all around us.
Thank you for your time…until article 4 of Inclusion on the slopes article series. Have a fantastic day!
References
[1] Eide, F. (2019). Dyslexia and the Illusion of Inclusion — Making Education Fit the Child. Retrieved from https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/dyslexia-and-the-illusion-of-inclusion-making-education-fit-the-child/
[2] Edsall, T. (2018). Who’s afraid of a white minority? . Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/opinion/america-white-minority-majority.html
[3] Shutterstock. (2019). Mixed race children images. Retrieved from https://www.shutterstock.com/search/mixed+race+children
[4] Cherry, K. (2019). How to General Intelligence Influences Performance on Cognitive Tasks. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-general-intelligence-2795210
[5] EDITORIAL: More diversity in Colorado Springs comes with good growth. (2018, 08/07/2018 Aug 07). TCA Regional News. Retrieved from https://proxy.cecybrary.com/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2084705712?accountid=144778
[6] Seal, C. R., Naumann, S. E., Miguel, K., Royce-Davis, J., Galal, S., Gardner, M. E., . . . Huijuan, Z. (2017). Personal Interpersonal Capacity: A Moderated-Mediation Model for Student Success. Journal of Organizational Psychology, 17(4), 78–89.
[7] Siegel, J. P. D., LCSW. (2010). Stop Overreacting. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger
[8] Clark, J. M., & Polesello, D. (2017). Emotional and cultural intelligence in diverse workplaces: Getting out of the box. Industrial and Commercial Training, 49(7/8), 337–349. doi:10.1108/ICT-06–2017–0040
[9] Munro, C. R. (2012). Preparing the next generation of leaders: The emerging organizational landscape with Generation Y at the helm, Singapore.
[10] Booker, L.-J. (2018). Leading diverse teams: the importance of cultural intelligence. Retrieved from http://www.exjournal.org/leading-diverse-teams-the-importance-of-cultural-intelligence/
[11] Solomon, A., & Steyn, R. (2017). Leadership styles: The role of cultural intelligence. SAJIP: South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 43, 1–12. doi:10.4102/sajip.v43i0.1436
[12] Bharwani, S., & Talib, P. (2017). Competencies of hotel general managers: a conceptual framework. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(1), 393–418. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2015-0448
[13] Levychin, R. C. P. A. C. (2018). Why your CQ is just as important as your IQ (and EQ). Journal of Accountancy, 225(2), 46–49.
[14] Humphreys, B. (2016). Five ways to lead with inclusion. Strategic HR Review, 15(5), 204–207.
