Why Diversity is Important and a Big Part of the World Cup!

Jun 2018

Why do German futbol players do so well in math? They know how to use their heads. Ba-Dum Tshhh!

Ok, horrible joke but I thought it was a good intro to today’s post as it centers around oh…only the biggest sporting event in the world.

Even though Germany, aka my favorite team and 2014 World Cup champions, lost their first game in round one against Mexico, I’m still optimistic! HUGE upsets happen sometimes.

I also love any excuse to bring up my family and our love for the sport and the things you do while watching this sport… such as drinking beer, specifically beer from a boot. The history of why Germans drink from a Das Boot is quite interesting.

I suppose during the game Mexican supporters were drinking… margaritas? Some of these recipes actually look pretty good!

While watching the Round 1 matches, I couldn’t help but think about one of the truly amazing things the World Cup represents – diversity. Diversity in the players, teams, cultures, locations, fans oh and most importantly food and drinks of choice!

What Is Diversity & Why Diversity Is Important?

According to Merriam-Webster, diversity is “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements.” Diversity describes the similarities and differences between people and things. Those similarities and differences cover things such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, identities, points of view, and the list goes on.

Understanding the differences that diversity brings about requires recognition and appreciation for these differences among groups. In today’s world, you have to be living under a rock to not see and feel the importance of diversity all around us.

As to why diversity is important, that’s easy, diversity is what contributes to each individual’s unique experience in this world. Think about diversity in your world, your neighborhood, your school, and your workplace or even within your own family.

Why Diversity Is Important in Business?

Since the ‘world has become flat,’ (if you haven’t at least read the synopsis of this international best-selling book by Thomas L Friedman, please do so here) – workplace diversity is a necessity. Employees and employers reap tangible and intangible benefits in companies that embrace and promote their commitment to diversity.

There are many benefits to a diverse workplace such as:

Increased mutual respect

Enhanced conflict resolution skills

Business reputation

Productivity

However, in this post, I’d like to focus on the benefits of hiring a diverse team. If you ever have the opportunity to hire employees, I strongly urge you to look for talent outside of your own industry, culture, gender, etc. By increasing the cultural diversity of your work team, you can many times have better outcomes, higher employee morale, and improved employee experience.

Hiring from varying industries also introduces new perspectives. For example, even within my own process improvement team at work, we have folks from manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare and pharmaceutical industry. With these backgrounds, we are able to come up with pretty unique solutions. Not to mention we have people that speak French, Spanish, English, German and Hebrew. As an added bonus, our holiday potlucks are pretty interesting and tasty!

Researchers have found that diverse workplaces are more productive and profitable. We can look to top companies such as Tesla, Google, and Microsoft and see some of the most diverse and inclusive workplaces. Specifically, Microsoft promotes diversity through its recruiting efforts by offering perks for young parents and domestic partner benefits for its LGBT employees.

Lessons on Why Diversity is Important from the World Cup

One of the first things I noticed was a brilliant Volkswagen commercial that embraces cultural diversity in a playful way. They poke fun at the fact that the USA team didn’t qualify but that there are plenty of other teams to root for. They intentionally stereotype cultures and ask viewers for their support, well-played marketing team!

I also thought about how these players actually leave their home teams and play for varying countries for smaller leagues and tournaments. So, you could have European players starting for South American teams and vice versa. In short, there are tremendous benefits to playing with players that are different than you and with coaches that might have new ways of training you.

Events like the World Cup bring people and fans together from all over. Sit in a bar and watch how quickly you can become friends with someone you would have never approached, but since they’re wearing the same jersey as you, it somehow feels easier.

With any game, you will always have a winner and a loser. In a certain sense, the World Cup can help promote humility and respect. Humility for those that win and respect for those that were not as fortunate. This concept goes for the fans and the players.

When To Use It:

I encourage you to think about diversifying in the following situations:

Hiring employees or teams

Making friends, try not to limit your friend group to people that are just like you. Mix it up in terms of age, race, gender, etc.

Investing, diversify your portfolio

Try new restaurants and order new types of food, your taste buds might thank you

Traveling – try a new vacation spot, but read this before you do

Diversity isn’t something you learn or do. It’s something that you can learn to become aware of and sensitive to. It’s about trying to understand other people’s points of view, values, etc.

Use It Or Lose It:

Accepting people and learning from others is a large part of personal development and improvement.

What Do You Think?

What other lessons can we learn from events like the World Cup? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Remember that without diversity life would be very boring, Germany will take the 2018 title and keep priming that pump!

Xoxo Bri

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