Inclusion on the slopes #7: Inclusion includes you too!!
Inclusion includes you too.
While it has been some time since I have written a Medium.com article, to be frank, I miss writing. I have been doing a tremendous amount of speaking and consulting but writing to me is intimate and relationship-oriented. Writing and reading is a mutual exchange that I immensely appreciate. Thank you for taking the time to read this article! I appreciate you! I believe strongly in the human connection, and I want to be transparent in my intention.
I intend to be very purposeful in this article series by concentrating heavily on providing a structural context, a multitude of perspectives, and substantial research to solidify my claims. I love what I do and do what I love; hence, I am delighted to be able to offer you lived experiences, practical knowledge, and strategic application to assist you in integrating inclusion into your life.
For those of you who have recently begun to follow Inclusion on the slopes, I want to welcome you to the inclusive journey, and I want you to know inclusion includes you too!!
I will be providing some conceptual context to promote the validity of integrating inclusion. The act of embedding inclusion into organizations or even your life can appear to be a daunting task. I intend to simplify these tasks by bringing attention to the why, the how, and the what of inclusion. We will then dive deep into the claim that inclusion includes you too.
I would like for us first to validate inclusion by defining it. There are several definitions of inclusion, but for simplistic purposes, we define it as an employee or person that perceives that he or she is valued.[3] When a person feels valued, engagement increases; therefore, inclusive teams outperform their peers by 80%. Inclusive environments allow for employees to be proactive in their contributions resulting in organizational effectiveness [4]. For those organizations that embed inclusion in all aspects of their business and believe in embedding inclusion into their core, they outperform others. [3],[5]
The idea of inclusion ultimately enhances our ability to foster human development [6]. Inclusion is not a want, for it is a need, based on the basics of development. Inclusion includes you because it is essential to our growth as human beings. We do not grow without involving others in our scope of work. We cannot foster sustainability without inclusion. If you want to know what is next for the industry, I have sequential offerings that will provide a bit of clarity.
Exclusion has been so prevalent in the snow sports industry because it derives from social conditioning and human behavior. It is easier to be around those that make us comfortable and to be in enjoyable environments[7]. At times, inclusion can make us uncomfortable. If we are ill-equipped to handle these levels of engagement, we attempt to avoid them[5]. Therefore, we lean more towards exclusion because there is a level of comfortability. If you want to know where to start, you must understand your current lived experiences or your current social conditioning.
Social conditioning — The Why?
The first concept I want to expose is the ideology supporting social conditioning. An ideology in lament terms is common sense used as a moral, legitimate, and often necessity within our society. [9] From an individual point of view, ideology is the social framework in which a person develops and acts[10]. Social conditioning occurs based on preconceived patterns or schema from these actions that often coincide with limiting options [11]. One of the most profound theorists to study human conditioning is Ivan Pavlov.
In Pavlov’s research, he uncovered that we could experience a situation, recall what happened in that situation, then, therefore, develop a memory template for a predicament of its kind [12]. Hence, the conditioning process repeats itself until we deliberately choose a different course of action based on revised information. We are either motivated or demotivated by social conditioning, yet we can empower ourselves to create new patterns of perception.[13] I want us to heighten our ability to comprehend the level of acclimation we have to succumb to and to feel empowered in consciously choosing another way.
I was recently watching the show The Social Dilemma on Netflix, and it discussed the idea that tribalism is killing us. We have become so divided because of our attachment to these conditioned identities. We are more disconnected than we have ever been, and there is too much value in our human connection. We need each other, not want each other, but need. We have witnessed from the COVID pandemic that what affects one of us affects us all, and we can no longer deny the importance of our ability to relate to each other; hence, relationships are essential.
We must fully comprehend that humans are social creatures by nature [14]. We need inclusion because exclusion comes with a cost.[15] Exclusion entails social anxiety, depression, loneliness, anger, hurt feelings, and lower psychological health. If you have experienced any of the previous emotions mentioned, exclusion may have a little bit to do with it.
I hold no fault for industries that have not made inclusion a priority. Studies show that when uniqueness is a focus, the cultural majority members then feel excluded.[16]As one of my clients mentioned, he does not go out seeking problems, but inclusion isn’t a problem; inclusion is an opportunity. The value proposition for inclusion has not reached the depths of acknowledgment to prompt significant change, but I believe the tables are turning.
We continue to emphasize the need for a strong business case. Establishing the business case makes us feel safe, secure, and in control. In the instance that we want to prove a business case, we have to understand that inclusion entails human systems.[17] Human systems are reciprocal and based on relationships; therefore, positive interactions create positive results.[18] Concentrating on the business case is valid but could distract us from focusing on developing relationships considering it attaches numerical data to intrinsic interactions. Focus on the relationship, and validation of the business case occurs by default as innovation, profit, and creativity increase.[19] What we feel about someone or something is more powerful than what we think.[20] We can empower ourselves by concentrating on a systems approach.
Systems approach — The How?
The second concept I would like to emphasize is a systems methodology. Acknowledge that there are systems in place that hinder the snow sports industry’s expansion. One may ask, how is that feasible? I would say it is because the industry hasn’t grown. Systems will only shift when organizations and individuals combine their collective willpower based on emotions to create change.[22] If inclusion feels good, it is a priority; if inclusion does not feel good, it will not be a priority. If inclusion doesn’t feel good, then ask the question ‘why’? Asking this question may entail excluding yourself so that you can focus on addressing the current system.
· Begin looking at every aspect of your business and inquire whether uniqueness is valued[4].
· Second, gain a pulse of your current cultural climate, whether it is through surveys, focus groups, or collective interviews.
· Third, start taking small steps to shift from an exclusive system to an inclusive one in an experimental fashion. Find what works for you and your organization. Making a giant leap by increasing representation without addressing your organizational culture will get you right back where you started. Take your time in your action items.
· Fourth, when you take that small step, extract a measurable from the effort to begin to craft a quantifiable path out of qualitative lived experiences. If you want to consider methods to measure inclusion, both qualitative (experiences) and quantitative (numerical) measurements will need to be a factor.3
We will be required to acquire a varied set of skills to disrupt a system of exclusion and establish new mental modes as well.[5] Subsequentially it will require a deliberate focus to make inclusion effortless. You will need to re-condition yourself, and there is a science to this effort. According to Fit4D[23],
“Psychologist Deann Ware, Ph.D., explains that when brain cells communicate frequently, the connection between them strengthens, and “the messages that travel the same pathway in the brain over and over begin to transmit faster and faster.” With enough repetition, these behaviors become automatic. Reading, driving, and riding a bike are examples of complicated behaviors that we do automatically because neural pathways have formed.”
You will need to embed inclusion over and over again, which could include seeking information, developing relationships, or even deliberately seeking out inclusive opportunities. Also, reference anything you have done in the past that was a new skill. How did you learn it? What steps did you take? The desire to learn must match with the knowledge of how best to acquire the information and then translate into charting the course towards more inclusive behaviors.[24] It may feel new but inclusive behavior is inherent and is not as far-fetched as we believe.
I want to assist you in developing new neural pathways and experience the benefits of what it feels like to create inclusion. As we have become aware of our conditioning, I would like for us to feel empowered to choose consciously. Choose to face our fears of the unknown and embark on the inclusive adventure.
Address the fears head-on — The What?
I have come to recognize that there are several levels to an organization or an individual’s capability to embark on integrating inclusion into their framework. Particularly, skiing has a historical context in which skiing is passed down generationally from one generation to the next[26]. With the lack of family heritage and the lack of encouragement from others to partake in the sport, it is often a slim chance that minority members will be more prevalent in the sport. There appears to be a skills gap that is a lack of interpersonal skills to engage with these various groups. The only probable solution to mitigating this interpersonal skills gap is to manage, motivate, and encourage knowledge workers equipped with this talent.[27]
Acknowledging our lack allows us to lean into our strengths to face the fears that are prevalent in this industry and to be aware that others can assist us in feeling equipped. Addressing this inability requires a heightened level of soft skill development and emotional intelligence. Besides, our apprehension cannot continue to result in our default delegation of inclusion to someone else; we must do the internal work. Inclusion must be embedded in internal practices from the C-suite to the board of directors, to the employees, and within the organizational culture for it to be sustainable.[5] Otherwise, it a smokescreen for a larger issue at hand that is leadership.
Lead by example
In the context of change resistance, there is a significant correlation to human capability versus human adaptability, and this advancement in human capability is what prompts innovation.[6] A human’s capability is a deliberate choice that involves taking the internal risk to learn more. This work requires a depth of thinking, evaluating, reconstructing while fostering emotional connectedness. In this instance, it is also the moment where the systems method shows relevance by concentrating on the individual, then expanding to the group and the marketplace.[5] Are you ready to take on the effort considering inclusion includes you too?
Snowsports Industry America recently hired me as their inclusion consultant. While I am not privy to discuss the specifics of our consulting efforts as it is confidential, SIA and I have partnered on creating an opportunity for you to craft your self-guided inclusion journey (Click here)-https://snowsports.org/inclusion/ . Also, in the next month, I intend to launch a week of Inclusion on the slope’s events, as well as monthly events to continue the inclusion conversation. SIA is leading by example, and an organization could easily take a pulse on whether SIA’s tactics could work for them.
I want to reiterate that inclusion entails creating an environment that shares a sense of belonging, mutual respect, and connection where everyone can be their best. [30] I also want to state the claim that there is no us versus them. It is a matter of us versus ourselves that involves all of us continuously questioning our frames of thought while leaning into our strengths. If you are attempting to know what to do first, start with self.
Organizations / Individuals leverage their strengths to come together.
An effective strategy used in schools and organizations is the strength-based approach.[17] Leveraging strengths to counteract addressing the unknown journey of inclusion has demonstrated proven success.[32] There are several strength assessment options (i.e., CliftonStrength, High5 Test), but I think it is highly significant to make the strength-based approach applicable. I will use myself as an example.
I had never skied before May 2019, but I am a researcher. My strengths from Clifton Strengths are Individualization, Intellection, Futuristic, Learner, and Input. Considering I see people as individuals, I can recognize individual strengths and the value of those strengths. I believe in learning from others, and I value an individual’s input. My first step was to solicit opinions about skiing before my venture. My second step entailed watching 38 videos on skiing, preparing my body to the best of my ability, and researching as much as possible on the sport. Because I am futuristic, I envisioned the experience. No words could describe it ultimately. Then lastly, I learned as much as possible until I felt comfortable. Off to the mountains, I went.
In this context, when you begin to focus on strengths, you begin to see the value in each person that you engage with; therefore, you want to expand the capability that an organization has access to[33]. By putting a limitation based on race, sexual orientation, gender, or any other demographic orientation, an organization inherently limits its ability to be progressive. An organization will hinder its growth and innovation unbeknownst to themselves by continuing to perpetuate the status quo.
As we are aware of our strengths, we can recognize areas of opportunities seamlessly because we are then able to use our abilities to navigate it. At the beginning of the inclusive journey, it is significant to invoke a mutual exchange in creating inclusion. Inclusion is not a one-way street. We benefit from our abilities to create these organic connections and foster inclusive behaviors with one another.
In Closing
My intention with Inclusion on the slopes is to address fear head-on and equip those who desire to leverage their strengths to develop relationships with one another. I am not asking you to be my ally, but I am asking you to be a human being. I am a human being first and foremost; consequently, thereafter, everything is subjective.
I am not even asking you to agree to disagree. How can anyone disagree with my story when ultimately it’s mine? I am advocating for us to engage as human beings. Engage in a way where we honor each lived experience and validate our world views.
For those leaders who recognize that inclusion includes them too; I salute you! You see the value, and now we need to spread the word to the masses! Have an awesome day, until next time!
References
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[4] Cottrill, K., Denise Lopez, P. and C. Hoffman, C. (2014), “How authentic leadership and inclusion benefit organizations”, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 33 №3, pp. 275–292. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-05-2012-0041
[5] Taylor, Chris (2017) From Systemic Exclusion to Systemic Inclusion: A Critical Look at Museums, Journal of Museum Education, 42:2, 155–162, DOI: 10.1080/10598650.2017.1305864
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[17] Schmidt, A.H. (2017), “Resistance is overcome in one dialogic OD model (Appreciative Inquiry)”, International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Vol. 20 №1, pp. 1–49. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-20-01-2017-B001
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[25] https://tillyjoanadams.com/2017/01/28/what-are-you-afraid-of/
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[28] http://blog.iedgemail.com/lead-by-example/
[30] McKeown, Eileen (2010). Quantifiable Inclusion Strategies. T + D. 64, 10
[31] https://www.americanwatercollege.org/focusing-on-strengths/
[32]Balaven, K. (2018). Chasing Inclusion. Independent School, 78(1), 102–107
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