Where does hope lie, when leaders aren't even embracing diversity?
[Image depicts actress Meryl Streep holding her Golden Globe and giving her acceptance speech]
At the recent Golden Globes, during her acceptance speech, Meryl Streep, in an unnamed
accusation, highlighted the incident where Donald Trump, the US
President-elect, mocked
a reporter with a disability.
There was huge outcry from media, celebrities and the
general public. Donald Trump retaliated saying that Meryl was ‘overrated’ and
denied mocking the reporter.
Whatever your thoughts about Meryl Streep, Donald Trump and
Hollywood in general, she did raise some very important points.
If a person in a position of leadership, of power, can
humiliate by mocking an individual in such a public forum, where they are
unable to defend themselves, then what hope do the underrepresented in society
have?
Humiliation is a form of bullying. If leaders are doing it,
then others perceive it as an acceptable form of behaviour, giving permission
to do it.
For too long, mocking, bullying and humiliation have been
rife in society. Yes, there are certain attributes that make a leader such as
confidence, stoicism and passion, yet there are so many other attributes that
make a great leader such as
open-mindedness, integrity and inspiration.
Perhaps some of the best leaders are those from a diverse
background, where their abilities outweighed their disabilities. From large
companies such as the founder of Braun Corporations to previous US President
Roosevelt, knowing what opportunities inclusiveness brought made them great
leaders, which is something that perhaps some of today’s leaders should think
about implementing.
Luckily here in Australia, we are seeing far more stories
about embracing diversity and greater rates of inclusiveness. Leaders, please
take note: embrace diversity, realise that every person has different strengths
and that there is opportunity to grow in every strength, whereby no opportunity
is missed.
Wondering how you can become the next leader, why not get information from IDEAS on 1800 029 904 or ideas.org.au.
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