Happy
Holidays
from all of us at Diversity
Builder!!!
DIVERSITY NEWS DECEMBER
2008
Welcome to the December Edition of
Diversity News!
This
month's articles include:
Christmas Around the World
Diary from the Dome
A Unique Gift Idea!
Win A Copy of "Vexed": Dr. Bill Halbert's
Latest Book
Diversity Spotlight: "Fluency: Leading in
the Midst of Change"
Be sure
to forward to your friends and
coworkers!
Christmas Traditions Around the
World
Christmas,
which marks the birth of Jesus Christ, is
celebrated across the world with religious
fervor and gaiety. Though the feasts, Santa and
merriment are all common themes, there are
certain traditions that are distinctive of
different countries.
German Christmas
Tradition
Christmas celebrations
in Germany begin on the Sunday after November
26. This period leading up to Christmas is
called Advent. Unlike many countries, where
Santa Claus gives gifts to children on Christmas
eve, German children put a shoe outside a window
or bedroom door or by the fireplace on the
evening of December 5th. It is said that St
Nicholas, who goes from house to house, gives
rewards to good children in the form of edibles
like sweets, candies, fruits and biscuits.
December 6th is known as St Nicholas
Day.
Mexican Christmas
Tradition
Christmas celebrations
in Mexico begin on December 16, nine days before
December 24. During these nine days or Novena,
as it is called in Mexico, Posadas are held in
which children along with some adults enact the
scene of St Joseph and Virgin Mary looking for
lodging. Every family has to host Posadas for
one day. Once the host is selected, prayers are
held and songs sung in praise of the Lord. This
is followed by feasts for children and
adults.
Italian Christmas
Tradition
An interesting aspect of
Christmas in Italy is that instead of writing
letters to Santa Claus asking for gifts,
children here write letters to their parents to
express their love. The letter, which is kept
under the father's plate, is read after the
Christmas Eve dinner.
Irish Christmas
Tradition,
In Ireland, a candle is
placed on the window of every house on Christmas
Eve by the youngest member of the household as a
symbolic gesture of welcoming Mary and Joseph.
According to the traditions in Ireland, the
candle has to be extinguished only by a girl
named Mary.
Polish
Christmas Tradition
People in
Poland believe that whatever happens on
Christmas Eve or Wigilia, as it is known there,
has an impact on the coming year. They believe
good fortune will come if the first visitor on
Christmas Eve is a man. They also welcome the
mailman into their homes as it symbolizes money
and success. In Poland, Christmas and Santa
Claus day are not celebrated at the same time.
Santa Claus day is celebrated on December 6, the
day he distributes gifts among children. On
Christmas Eve, the whole family gets together to
see the first star. After seeing the star, they
go to a table which is covered with hay and
white table cloth. The eldest member of the
family then breaks Oplatek, a wafer made of
flour and water, into two pieces and gives one
piece to his wife. All the members partake from
each other's piece. Good wishes are exchanged
which is followed by a meatless supper, singing
of Christmas carols and Midnight
mass.
|
| Diary From the
Dome
 I recently had
a phone conversation with Paul Harris about his
book “Diary from the Dome: Reflections on Fear
and Privilege During Katrina”. Paul was visiting
New Orleans when the hurricane threatened to hit
and all public transportation closed down. He
ended up having to weather the storm in the
Superdome for the first few days and then was
virtually smuggled out with approximately 100
white tourists by the national guard to the
Hyatt Regency. To say the least, he has quite a
story to tell.
In addition, to telling me
about the book itself, Paul shared with me parts
of his journey in writing the book. He told me
that when he finally was able to return to his
home state of California, he was interviewed by
several local newspapers and radio stations who
were interested in his story. People were so
engaged by what he had to say that several of
them suggested he write a book.
Yet one
interview, in particular, peaked my interest.
The radio personality asked Paul if he was more
racist after the experience. As Paul relates the
story:
“The interviewer had assumed like
some others that inside the Dome there were huge
clashes or tensions between blacks and whites.
In my observations this was very very limited
and that the vast majority of folks did get
along well and were supportive of each other.
And so I told him, ‘no, I’m less racist because
of my experience.'
I grew up in an upper
middle-class suburban environment in Sacramento.
It was pretty much lily-white and sheltered. The
one African-American friend I had as a child
moved away after about 1 year. As soon as I was
mature enough I tried to expand my horizon by
going into more ethnically diverse communities
in Sacramento, realizing that being a product of
my environment I had to overcome a lot of
stereotypes. Even though from the age of 18, I
broadly expanded my experiences and friendships
and have lots of black friends, I have never
actually lived with a black family. When I was
stuck in the Superdome, I was in a sense
"living" with thousands of black families,
albeit just for a few days. And for the most
part, my experiences in that regard were quite
positive. Also, even though I'm politically
progressive and have been an activist in various
causes for years, the poverty I saw in NOLA (and
also Tijuana) really has opened my eyes further
and put a face on it much better than before. I
strive to always "walk in the shoes" of the
other person, so I think it makes me more open
to understanding the privileges I have as a
white male. So I guess just exposure,
communication, humor, and humility can help
one/me become a better human being.”
This
is a story that is incisive, opinionated, and
articulate. It is also an eloquent tribute to
“the heroic members. . . . and those other
heroes who touched my life there, the incredible
citizens of New Orleans who have persevered to
survive and treat me to America’s Most Soulful
City.”
(Submitted by staff writer Angela
Holley)
Click here and search Diary from
the Dome to order this book from Better World
with Free
Shipping! |
|
A Unique Gift
Idea!
 Points of You: The Coaching
Game Last month I attended a workshop
facilitated by a young man from Isreal named,
Yaron Golan. He was introducing a product that
he developed with his partner called, "Points of
You: The Coaching Game." During the workshop, we
had the opportunity to try out a few aspects of
the "game" as a group. As a result, I came away
not only with some insights into my life and a
related plan of action, but with a profound
sense of connection with the other participants.
I was hooked and so, I bought a copy of my own.
Since then, I have played it a few times, always
with amazing results.
The game is
described as follows:
"The Coaching Game
is a personal coach that we can pull out
whenever we find ourselves having to cope, make
a decision, or at any point along the way in our
life journey. It allows us to explore real
issues in our lives from different perspectives,
to achieve clarity, to form insights and to
decide what actions to take.
You can play
The Coaching Game with yourself, a partner, or
an entire group of people. It can be played as a
social game, creating communication and openness
between participants in an exciting and
extraordinary way. It can be used as a
professional tool for coaching yourself and
others. It makes a fabulous gift (great for
birthdays & special occasions) and it's also
an extraordinary tool for coaches, executives,
psychologists, workshop
instructors…
(Submitted by staff writer:
Angela Holley)
Submit
your inquiry to purchase a copy of the Coaching
Game.
|
 |
Win a Copy
of Dr. Bill Halbert's Latest
Book!
"Vexed: A Relationship Parable" For
business people who are pressed on all sides by
demands to generate profits and manage multiple
relationships, work can be a challenge. This
parable serves as the framework for discussing
the roles profits and people play in business
success. Identifying with characters in the
parable leads individuals to understand the
importance of good business communication to
both profits and people.
Sign up for
Dr. Halbert's newsletter and you will
automatically be entered to win a free copy of
this book!!! With his newsletter, you will
receive business articles & information on
customer relationship management trends,
leadership workshops, employee assessment tools,
small business advice, and more!
Click here for a chance to
win! |
| Diversity Spotlight: Excerpts from
the Article "Fluency: Leading in the Midst of
Change"
 Some of you may remember the 1985 hit
song, "We are the World," produced by Quincy
Jones and an inspiring cast of musicians who
sang about working together, past our
differences. Media images like these showed us
the world and nation, as we wanted ourselves to
be -- pictures and soundbites of many races
cooperating, communicating, and sharing
opportunity and fortune.
If only it were that
simple. Almost 25 years later, we are still
struggling to make that vision real -- in our
business practices, in the running of our
cities, and, now, in the context of great
cultural, demographic, and economic changes
brought on by globalization. . . . How does
one lead a community, whether local or global
team, in the midst of huge demographic and
economic shifts?
. . . .one of the most
important skills of a leader through changing
times will be a skill set of cultural fluency.
Fluency is the skill set of understanding and
being understood past apparent borders. To know
one's constituents and address their needs
effectively, 21st century leaders must practice
and hone their fluency skills. . . .What are
some of the qualities of a fluent leader? They
understand the value of nuance. They readily
deal with complexity, knowing that solutions to
real problems require many levels of information
and analysis. Every one of the fluent leaders
I've interviewed is also insatiably curious.
Perhaps most importantly, these leaders also
understand that the practice of fluency is not a
Pollyanna-esque, naive vision of the world,
where a handshake, a kind word, or a dabble into
a diversity program will suffice. It is quite
the opposite. Fluency work is hard "detail" work
that requires courage. To be a fluent leader
means having some enemies, crossing boundaries,
and entering into the necessary struggles to
challenge leaders and systems that benefit from
close-mindedness, fear, and simple
formulae.
This article was written by
Phoebe Eng who is the keynote speaker at
Linkage’s 10th Annual Summit on Leading
Diversity in Atlanta, GA, March 16-18, 2009. For
more information or to register click on the
image below.
For information on Diversity
Builder's extensive training programs, click
here. |
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