This radical idea struck: To write in here about the competitive advantage you have in not conforming.
Albert Einstein was a genius. Was he hanging out at the water cooler all day chatting with colleagues? Likely not.
Danny Rojas the Container Store’s Sr. Manager of Talent Acquisition spoke on this theme in an interview on the Container Store website:
Re: the fallacy of blending into the company culture and the benefit of a DEI ethic:
Rojas thinks that your being different–your individuality–can improve the culture of the company you work at.
How can you and I best add to the dynamic: By remembering that “not conforming” is not a free pass to acting convfrontational with coworkers.
I have a definite idea about the old chestnut of “acting true to yourself.” I believe everyone living on earth in this lifetime is here to experience karma. It’s not the punishment for prior sins. It’s the gaining knowledge of what you didn’t know before–like the evolution of your soul animated in this body and mind.
As not everyone we interact with is pleasant or dandy I think accepting others as they are and letting them be themselves is the key to inhabiting planet Earth with less friction and animosity among those of us with opposing ideologies.
Expecting a person to show up as their authentic self is key. This should be the playbook for interacting with people whose worldview is different from ours:
I accept and affirm how others feel. I make them feel seen and heard. I uphold that they are safe to express what they think and feel in my presence. I honor and celebrate their individuality.
Right. Not everyone else is going to operate this way–and not often likely toward a person living with a disability. Yet this is the ethic I think we should strive for.
At work you’ll rub elbows with the world. Though I failed big time working in the corporate and law offices I credit that early first experience with exposing me to coworkers from different walks of life.
Acceptance should be reciprocal: I allow you to act true to yourself and you allow me to act true to myself.
What about when a person has a mental health issue and they’re employed? Coming up my extended take on disclosure.
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