What If?: Short Stories to Spark Diversity Dialogue
- 2h 28m
- Steve L. Robbins
- Intercultural Press
- 2008
In today's global environment, diversity and inclusion training is no longer an option. Implementing strategies to attract, build, and leverage a diverse workforce is a must if organizations want to get the most value out of their human resources and gain competitive advantage.
National speaker and diversity and inclusion consultant Steve L. Robbins, a Vietnamese-American who immigrated to the U.S. as a boy during the Vietnam War, understands firsthand the damaging effects of prejudice, cultural assumptions, and closed minds. In WHAT IF?, Robbins presents a series of short, memorable stories that illustrate key concepts about diversity, inclusion, and the value of an open mind. This is an easy, fun read filled with insightful observations about human behavior, featuring questions to stimulate diversity dialogue and activities that help individuals and groups practice new thinking and behaviors.
This workshop-in-a-book is designed to get leaders, managers, HR professionals, and employees thinking, talking, sharing, and leveraging everyone's perspectives, talents, and experience for the good of the organization.
Having trained employees at numerous Fortune 50, 100, and 500 companies and national nonprofits, Robbins shows fresh ways to:
- Discover hidden talents in all your employees
- Solve problems better by tapping more perspectives
- Assess your leadership's inclusion policies
- Prepare your people for diversity training
- Identify systemic inclusion gaps in your company's culture
- Ramp up your organization's diversity and inclusion practices
Leaders and employees tend not to have crucial conversations around issues of diversity and inclusion. This book is an invaluable conversation starter and teaching tool for any type of organization--nonprofits, governmental agencies, small businesses, corporations, schools, even sports teams--looking to develop an environment in which all members can thrive, contribute, and reach their potential.
About the Author
Born in Vietnam, Steve L. Robbins immigrated to the United States with his mother in 1970, when he was five years old. He and his mother faced and overcame many obstacles as immigrants in their new land during a time when there was much anti-Vietnamese sentiment. Working through and rising out of the challenges of poverty, discrimination, and the tough streets of Los Angeles, Robbins received his BA degree in communication with honors from Calvin College and his MA and PhD degrees in communication from Michigan State University.
After working stints as a news producer at the NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and director of the Woodrick Institute for the Study of Diversity and Racism, Robbins founded SLRobbins & Associates, a consultancy specializing in the areas of diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency. Working with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations of all sizes, the company offers guidance on these and myriad other issues that are increasingly affecting organizations in a global world and marketplace.
In his consulting work, Robbins brings his insightful perspectives on diversity, inclusion, and the power of caring to companies and audiences. Drawing on his compelling life journey, his talks and workshops are filled with intriguing stories, laugh-out-loud humor, and a keen understanding of the human condition. A highly sought-after keynote speaker, Robbins has worked with numerous organizations including Toyota, Microsoft, McDonald's, PepsiCo, Boeing, Marathon Oil, Chevron, Honda, Herman Miller, Bristol Myers Squibb, NASA, Aetna, NSA, General Mills, Pfizer, Trinity Health Systems, and Mead Johnson.
In addition to his professional work, Robbins is heavily involved in his community. He recently served on the Grand Rapids Mayor's Commission on Civil Rights. In 2002, Grand Rapids Magazine named him one of its "20 People to Watch." Under his direction, the Woodrick Institute for the Study of Racism and Diversity was recognized by the City of Grand Rapids in 2003 for its work in healing racism and encouraging diversity, and in 2002 the Institute was named a "Champion of Diversity" by the United Way's Project Blueprint.
In this Book
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The Right Environment
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A Better Script
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Equal Is Not Always Fair
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It's All in the Details
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Below the Surface
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Cool Features
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A Difference in Weight
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"Bizeer Gummies"
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Inaccurate Maps
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Harmless Images?
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Strange New Worlds
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I Know Everything Already
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Someday They Will See
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Recording Errors
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File Cabinets
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Wanted: Good Role Models
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Swimming's Great, Just Don't Get Me Wet
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Use One More Club
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Nubby Sandals
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It's the System, Stupid
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A New Search Routine
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A Late Start
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I Hate Board Games
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The Power of Magnification
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More Cookies
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Lion Chase
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I Want to Get Better
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