Embracing Diversity in Today’s World

Diversity in the United States is a controversial topic for reasons beyond comprehension and, I would say, too complicated to fully address in a single post. It gets tangled up in political divisions and current debates about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, fueling discussions in government and higher education institutions in the United States. Today, I am going to discuss what diversity is in simple terms and why it is crucial to have diversity in companies, organizations, and government.

Merriam-Webster defines diversity as “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements: VARIETY.”1 The key lies in the emphasis on VARIETY. A leader who desires a team with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, expertise, and cultural exposure understands that collaboration from a diverse team is essential to inspire confidence and influence others to accomplish a mission.

My military experience taught me the importance of diversity. Starting my military career leading a Platoon of 36 men, we had a diverse leadership structure including African Americans, Filipinos, Hispanics, and Whites. Their different backgrounds, life experiences, and education were vital as we executed tactical plans. Training, living in the field, and facing challenges together created a bond that relied on each other’s experiences to maintain morale and tackle difficult tasks and missions.

As a commander in Iraq, my diverse team played a crucial role in handling challenging missions. The team comprised individuals with different perspectives and leadership styles, offering invaluable insights into training priorities, budget execution, family support, assistance for single soldiers, approaches to religious festivities, and supporting soldiers going through personal struggles.

Later in my career, joining military personnel from over 20 nations in the NATO Special Operations headquarters expanded my knowledge and assisted in formulating plans and strategies. Learning from officers with diverse experiences and knowledge about Russia and the Middle East broadened my understanding of current political and economic affairs.

Towards the end of my military career, I had the privilege of serving with remarkable women, including Major General Michelle A. Schmidt, who is now the first active duty female infantry division commander. Her leadership skills and knowledge are commendable, and I hope to see her as a four-star general in the near future. I believe, the U.S. Army, as an institution, will benefit greatly from her leadership skills and knowledge, as we face challenges from peer and near-peer adversaries such as China and Russia. 

Why is diversity so important? Diversity brings different perspectives and possible solutions to a problem. People from different genders, age groups, religions, languages, professions, socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures, and educational backgrounds on a team bring new ideas and ways to solve problems. For instance, we can recall how the Navajo Nation helped the United States during World War II; their language enabled wartime communication that was never intercepted by the enemy.2 Also, in addressing poverty or homelessness in this country, the solution requires input from those who have experienced these issues. The inclusion of individuals who have faced poverty and homelessness provides invaluable insights into creating effective solutions.

Diversity is extremely important. The sooner we accept this fact, the better we will be as a society. Embracing diversity gives us a strategic advantage that fosters innovation, resilience, and success in an ever-changing world.

  1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diversity ↩︎
  2. https://www.neh.gov/article/code-talkers-were-americas-secret-weapon-world-war-ii# ↩︎

35 thoughts on “Embracing Diversity in Today’s World”

  5. Biologically speaking, the greater the genetic diversity, the greater the survival probability of a species. I think it says it all; that’s how important diversity is. It enriches everything – a country, a population, a species, and so on. Great post Edward 🙏 infinite blessings 💫

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  7. Such a post, Edward. Thank you. I know folks can get into a major twist and ruffled up about ‘diversity initiatives’ these days but your purposeful post makes one point clear. Diversity IS really about inclusion in all things – for individual and greater good. It’s maddening how something so simple and obvious can spark nonsensical rage. Ignorance at work. Thanks for shining a light on what matters most. 🥰

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    1. Thank you, Victoria. “Ignorance at work”, indeed, but sad because there are so many people with the ability to do basic research on this topic. They could discover that diversity is not a bad thing. Unfortunately, some listen to characters in the media, social media, or politicians with hidden agendas.

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      1. Right there with you. Spot-on…ignorance born of fear…worrying about protecting (and thus limiting) resources, opportunities for ‘others’. Stupidity and rigidity. And the only way to combat it is by doing exactly what you did in this post, Edward! Bring the light. Keep bringing the light. xo! 🥰🌞🥰

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  10. Edward,

    Thank you for this post and sharing your experience. I do not have the professional depth that you described. Yes, I worked in a global office for over 20 years and enjoyed learning from my colleagues from Poland, China, Uruguay, India, and Great Britian. With a degree in Anthropology, I constantly questioned them about their culture and what it was like growing up, what was different for them in America. The diversity we had as a team was our strength to build best-in-class products.

    Yet, what I learned studying cultures of mankind, we didn’t grow from hunter-gatheres to civilizaitons by walling ourselves off from other people. Writing developed in Mesopotamia, a cross-roads for trading between Egypt and China, due to the trade that flourished between different cultures over 5000 years ago. As a species, our ability to learn from each other serves to strenthen us and help us flourish. Racial purity is a myth and a dangerous one at that, not only culturally, but physically!

    Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I hope your knowledge reaches those who need to hear the words and understand how important diversity is for our well being.

    Joni

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  12. What a thoughtful post about the strengths of diversity – battle-tested, no less. As you said in your opening paragraph, the fact that diversity has become controversial, probably mostly because it has been politicized is a whole other ball of wax.

    But if we could all come back to the simplicity of your definition and experience, it would be great to recenter how effective it is at fostering innovation. Thanks for the great post!

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    1. Thank you, Wynne, for your comments. Yeah, sometimes I wonder about the political discord surrounding this issue. Some politicians who oppose diversity are the same ones seeking votes from diverse communities. A conundrum for sure.

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    1. Thank you Cindy and I like what you said about honoring diversity is a respectful manner and anything less is inexcusable. You are so right, diversity is what makes this country so great. So not promoting it is definitely inexcusable.

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  14. I applaud your post Edward. Diversity is the key to an open, modern and versatile democratic society. Unfortunately, right wing movements and parties are rising everywhere in the world, especially in Europe.

    And the right wing parties want exactly the opposite of diversity, promoting unity, racial purity, family traditions and anti-immigration. I see it here in Italy, where Meloni, although admired in Europe, is pushing fierce anti immigration laws, anti LGBTQ laws, taking over cultural institutions (to promote even further old fascist propaganda: country, family, Italians first). Although she failed on immigration so far, it even increased. Italy is a country that’s never really processed Fascism and Mussolini. Coming back with revenge now.

    But there is hope, people should stay alert and vote for the people who intend to strengthen democracy and are pro-diversity. Diversity is the future, not dividing and thinking one race is superior to all the others. We had this in 1933 and know how that turned out.

    Sorry, this got way longer than intended. Thank you Edward for a great post 👍

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    1. Chris, I really appreciate your comments and have no issues with the length of your response. The more, the better; that’s how we learn from each other. You are so right, people opposing diversity and seeking “racial purity” are dangerous, taking us back to a dark time that we don’t want to experience again.

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      1. Indeed Edward, that’s why people need to remember about their history. If we don’t remember the past and its failings, we’re doomed to make the same mistakes over and over again. Have a great day Edward 🙏

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