The Inclusive Organization

1Decoding Human Behavior

When was the last time you found yourself in a blood‐boiling disagreement with a partner or friend that evokes a high level of anxiety every time you think about it? You picked your battle that day and decided not to say anything. Why? Maybe you were worried about retribution, maybe you didn't want to be labeled as “difficult” or “confrontational,” or maybe you simply did not have the emotional capacity that day to allow an argument to get instigated. Or perhaps you did say something, and in turn were completely disregarded. This culminated in your anger and disappointment growing and festering until one day you reached your limit and finally left that relationship. This is how a portion of the population feels on a daily basis: forced to withstand wave after wave of aggression, even aggression masquerading as friendliness.

When such actions continue to go unchecked, people will reach a point at which they will leave relationships and situations that do not give them the grace to be heard or supported. When people try to speak up and are disregarded, a growing tension starts and festers. So how can we equip ourselves with the tools to both actively listen and advocate for ourselves to be heard? Please lean on me as we begin our journey of exploring the intricacies of building a truly inclusive organization, but before we can start to construct solutions, we must take a moment and understand how these problems arose in the first place. I ask that you ...