EI Meets Diversity
HOT READS FOR THE PRACTIONER
Competencies: self-development, diversity, performance management, coaching talent, influence skills, conflict management, anger management
Who benefits: managers and supervisors, employees, teams, human resource professionals
Consultant Usage: trainers in communication skills, diversity issues, emotional intelligence; diversity consultants; emotional intelligence consultants
What’s it about? I have been needlessly beating myself up (as my friends know I am prone to do) over last week’s posting of a book with “diversity” in the title. I still stand by my recommendation. It’s a good book to look at personal responsibility and accountability. And that’s a good thing. But it is a book of narrow focus.
I was lamenting this with a colleague who replied “How about Lee and Anita’s new book?” Lee Gardenswartz and Anita Rowe are consultants I have know and admired since first meeting them back in the ‘70s. In my opinion they are the “Diversity Gurus” of all time. What they don’t know about diversity issues … well, as trite as is reads, probably isn’t worth knowing. If they have something new out, I guarantee it is worth reading.
And my problem is solved about a book with a narrow focus.
Lee is listed as the primary author and Anita along with Jorge Cherbosque from UCLA are listed as co-authors. Their book came out in October of last year. The book covers a lot of territory. It covers generational, cultural, language, and behavioral differences in today’s global workplace, a far broader definition and necessity than when I was coming through the ranks.
Think about the expansion. In my day diversity meant getting along and respecting the person in the next cubicle. Today that cubicle and teammate may well be 12 time zones away and it is inhabited by a person who is of a different racial, gender, generation and language than you! Boy, talk about the prospects of conflict management.
What I have always liked about Lee and Anita’s material (and now Jorge) is that along with providing great amounts of knowledge and insight, they provide tons of practical advice and useable tools. This book is no exception, filled with how-tos, action tips, assessment tools, and plenty of workplace examples.
I am feeling my old self again. This is the broad focus I was missing about how to create better working relationships, healthier, more satisfying workplaces, and more effective organizations. Last week’s recommendation along with this week’s makes for a excellent reading about an important, on-going topic.
Catch you later.
Technorati Tags: self-development, diversity, performance management, coaching talent, influence skills, conflict management, anger management, generational differences, cultural differences, language differences, behavioral differences, healthy workplaces, global workplace, lee gardenswartz, anita rowe, jorge cherbosque, bill bradley, william bradley, bradley