Get a Bigger Tent: Five Ways to Be Inclusive

By Steven A. Hitz, Founding Director
Author of Launching Leaders

June 6, 2017

In our work with Launching Leaders, we invite people of all faiths to apply their own faith traditions with the core principles taught in the course to create a holistic life. We have been amazed at the easy tolerance demonstrated by Millennials as they gather from various faith traditions to discuss how the principles apply in their lives. It is a remarkable thing, being as non-judgmental as they are—THANK YOU Millennials for leading the way.

I am a creature of habit, and while it is often good to be habitual, I’ve also found I need to take off my blinders and challenge myself to consider new ideas, horizons, and out-of-the box thinking. When it comes to experiencing the great treasures in life, ignorance is not bliss. The same concept is true in adopting and implementing the principles of Launching Leaders; but once you embark on its unique concepts, you will quickly discover it is not the same old regurgitated stuff so common in general leadership principles.

For those who might be challenged by learning new things or adopting a more tolerant and congenial approach toward new ideas, I say, GET A BIGGER TENT. One of the wonderful things my associates and I have an opportunity to do is to mingle with folks of all faiths. While faith is a component of our formula, there are never discussions or comparisons of doctrines or beliefs—-everyone is encouraged to create their own future and customize their own faith traditions in the process. It is such a thrill to associate with such fine human beings from all over the planet. We are humbled to be a part of the futures you are creating.

Most helpful to gaining the most through the experience of Launching Leaders is to erase doctrinal battle lines and build upon the open space commonality. Here are five ways to be inclusive and enlarge our tents of understanding while at the same time honoring everyone in our midst:

  1. See the GOOD in others. Over the years, I’ve employed over 10,000 Millennials. One secret to our company’s success was to see the good in others and extrapolate that good for the benefit of the entire organization. That alone gave our company purpose—-though we also embraced some common societal causes. Does that mean we “put up with” harmful behavior also? No, but surprisingly, since everyone wants to make a difference, when they saw that the good they brought was appreciated, many of their negative behaviors no longer manifested themselves.  Seeing the good in others is like welcoming everyone to a sea of hope.
  2. Understand the LAW of PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. I remember seeing this picture years ago presented in a demonstration to point out that everyone sees things differently. One may see the young woman with her head slightly turned and a feather in her bonnet; another may see an old lady with a prominent nose and chin with small sad eyes. Whatever you see isn’t wrong; it is simply the way you see it. I call this the law of personal experience. It is how our view of the world simply is, and we ought to appreciate the views of others—-even seeking to see how and why they view the world as they do.
  3. Appreciate CHOICE. The freedom to create our own future and walk the path of our choosing is part of the message of Launching Leaders. We endorse a walk with personal faith traditions as a companion in this walk; but the principles work regardless of which faith you are inclined toward. Why do the principles work? Because they illuminate the path forward, even if only one step at a time. We sat in a class in Manchester England and witnessed the coming together of three very different faith traditions. Each participant graduated the class with an absolute respect for each other and was inspired to make this world a better place. Transparency, authenticity, tolerance, and love were key elements of their experience together. They appreciated and respected each other’s freedom to choose, and to apply their own faith traditions in their path forward.
  4. Seek to LEARN from everyone. I once had a sincere pastor approach me to correct my own faith traditions in “humility.” Even though Launching Leaders is non-denominational, this pastor felt the need to isolate his perceived thoughts on my personal views and basically challenge my own faith. Instead of engaging in debate I let his false assumptions ride on the wind, and saw beyond his personal bias as I saw an individual searching for his own path forward. I saw the good in him, tried to understand his personal experience, and sought to learn from his expressions of “humble concern.” Utilizing these five keys to be inclusive and enlarge the tent helped me find the lemonade from an otherwise sour experience. If we can see our interactions with each other as an opportunity to learn something new—-it will shape our own world for good.
  5. Exercise empathetic transparency. I have discovered that however lonely, depressed, or otherwise challenged my personal path may be, someone always is even more lonely, depressed or challenged than I am. I have needed to remind myself often that I ought not complain about my circumstances, as it wouldn’t be fair. While our Millennial friends have perfected transparency, perhaps one thing every generation can add to this wonderful trait is a little measured volume control on our transparency dial.   I heard a joke once about a preacher who opened his church on the Texas prairie. After the small church was built, all were invited to come worship together. Only one cow poke showed up the first Sunday, tied his horse to the post, walked to the front row—his cowboy boots clicking on the hard plank floor, removed his hat, and sat reverently.  The preacher looked upon his congregation of ONE, and pondered what to do. He decided that even though only one soul showed up, he would give him the best fire and brimstone speech he could muster. Thirty minutes later, he finished. The cowboy held hat in hand and stood up to exit. The preacher said “Thanks for coming, what did you think?” The cowboy said, “Preacher, I don’t know nuttin about preachin. All I knows about cows; and if one showed up I’d durn sure feed her—-but I wouldn’t dump the whole load.” In a recent blog “Respect Diversity Respectfully” I talked about how important it is to measure our transparent responses with empathy.

Let’s consider these fives keys being inclusive and making our tents bigger for everyone in our midst. We always have the most treasured things in common, and we should celebrate those ideals as we build a better world together.

As we broaden our circle of friends, even within our own tent, we will create a world we all want to live in. Let’s all consider getting a bigger tent!

 


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Receive new blog posts
in your inbox!