- Stop judging. Assume something positive. Give others the benefit of the doubt, as you would like them to give it to you.
- Treat people fairly. Try to put yourself in their shoes and examine what you would need from others if you were in that situation.
- Respect others’ points of view. Just as your perspectives are based on your experiences, allow that others’ experiences and perspectives are likely to be different than yours.
- Accept that others have needs, and others’ needs may be very different from yours based on their different reality.
- Value the strengths and experiences of others. Everyone has a special gift. Challenge yourself to identify the special gifts of others.
- Include others who are different. The more proactive you are in this area, the more experience and skill you will acquire.
- Legitimize different ways of doing things. Just as you are comfortable with your way of doing things, so are others.
- Allow and encourage others to be themselves. Requiring conformance is the opposite of valuing differences.
- Ask individuals what they prefer to be called. Let others know how you prefer to be referred to.
- Don’t expect from others things you are not willing to give. Develop flexible behaviors.
- Become comfortable with not always being in control of others. Recognize the benefits to you in giving up that control.
- Keep all your co-workers in the information loop. Pay attention to your primary network of informal data. Is this group diverse?
- Empower others who are different. Be a positive influence on at least one person who is different than you.
- Notice words, images, and situations that reinforce stereotypes.
- Ask additional questions when performance does not meet expectations.
- Care enough to be demanding. Maintaining high standards is the way to achieve excellence. Focus on removing barriers, not lowering expectations as a way of compensating for the barriers.
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