The Kihon of Diversity and Inclusion: "Difference Brings Power"

​Paula Bell is the CEO of Paula A Bell Consulting, LLC. She is a Business Analyst, Leadership and Career Development coach, consultant, speaker and author with 20 years of experience in corporate America in project roles to include business analyst, requirements manager, business initiatives manager, business process quality manager, technical writer, project manager, developer, test lead and implementation lead. Paula has experience in a variety of industries to include media, courts, manufacturing and financial. Paula has lead multiple highly-visible multi-million dollar technology and business projects to create solutions to transform businesses as either a consultant, senior business analyst or manager. Currently she is a Business Initiatives Manager leading a revenue team to build capabilities to bring new and innovative products to market.

Summary of Paula's presentation at our annual PDD Event - You do not want to miss this.

"I'm quite sure everyone will agree working with different people every day is easy and every interaction goes smoothly, right? Okay, that is a HUGE stretch. Wouldn't it be great if that was the case though? However, if it was, life may be quite boring. What makes life interesting is the different perspectives, cultures, mindset, skill sets and more of individuals we interact with. When people hear the word "diversity" a lot of individuals immediately think of "race" or "ethnicity". However, diversity is quite broader than those categories. As a martial arts instructor, and student, I have to work with individuals of different age, physical ability, mindset, skill set, and knowledge to name a few. As a senior manager I have to work with different individuals who have many different ideas, and perspectives, to obtain the business goals and strategies. Finally as an entrepreneur, I have to be really keen on how to interact with current, and future clients to ensure I'm providing them the services they need no matter what part of life's journey they may be encountering. As project managers, or members of project teams, every day you are working with people. Each person is unique, and brings something of value to the table. However, sometimes our unconscious biases, lack of understanding, or just the day to day hustle and bustle stop us from really understanding, and embracing the diversity of each of these individuals. Not everyone is like you. That is a GREAT thing!!!! As the old adage goes, two heads are better than one. In addition, multiple heads can bring about change like no other. The powerful solutions, and ideas, are endless when you have an inclusive environment to embrace the diversity of ALL.

In the spirit of the theme "Exercise your Mind" participants will leverage martial concepts to achieve the following objectives.

Objectives:

The Dimensions of Diversity – It's more than the surface.

Unconscious Bias – identifying unconscious biases you may have and how to work through them.

Creating and Fostering an Inclusive environment – embracing the differences and making everyone feel welcome to be who they are.