Home Opinion Choosing Inclusion Over Exclusion: Madison Has a Chance to Practice Inclusive Leadership

Choosing Inclusion Over Exclusion: Madison Has a Chance to Practice Inclusive Leadership

I was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Scottish-American father. As a child, I was confused as to why different groups reject, marginalize and cause suffering to people based on race and culture. My sisters and I had the good fortune to spend a significant amount of our childhood in both the U.S. and Japan. We were part of the Japanese, Japanese-American and white communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, and part of the Japanese community in Japan. However, we never felt fully included in either of these communities because of racial and cultural biases (both direct and indirect) that created a sense of exclusion. The simultaneous U.S. internment of Japanese Americans and the brutality of the Japanese military during World War II added to this confusion. These experiences developed in me a lifelong dedication to understanding relationships between different racial and cultural groups. As part of this pursuit, I have worked and studied in the areas of inter-ethnic conflict resolution, international business, cultural and ecological sustainability, inclusive and engaged leadership, and institutional diversity, equity and inclusion.

It should be no surprise, then, that the results of the recent presidential and congressional elections have brought me to a place of deep reflection on the complex challenges we face in our efforts to create social, economic and environmental well-being in our communities and organizations. Those who voted for the kind of change promised by president-elect Donald Trump are elated. But for many of us who support the environment as well as the groups of people who were demeaned throughout Trump’s campaign, this is a time of profound disbelief and anger as we anticipate the possible negative impacts of his future decisions and policies. I have been asking myself if I need to do anything differently given these circumstances. I have not yet found an answer. However, I do believe that no matter which candidate we voted for, we all must move ahead together — and from a place of compassion and love. In my years of studying institutional diversity and equity, I have never felt more strongly than I do now that our community needs to practice inclusive and engaged leadership.

Through my upbringing, my field of study and insights from others, I have come to realize four interconnected truths:

• Equity, diversity and inclusion are about well-being for all. What most of us truly want in our lives is a deep sense of well-being—for ourselves, our family, friends and community.
• Well-being comes from the ability of each of us to pursue our highest potential.
• Well-being comes from healing the divide between self and others.
• Well-being comes from healing the divide between self and nature.

Of course, there are obstacles to well-being at the personal, organizational and community levels based on what we prioritize and the structures and processes we have in place. At the personal level, we have mistakenly equated social status, positional power, more material goods and high levels of income as the most important pathways to well-being. At the organizational level, we measure profit and loss, market share, test scores and growth. On the state and national scale, we prioritize economic indicators such as gross domestic product, stock market growth and employment rates. These can provide insight into financial well-being but alone are insufficient.

Organizations and publications such as the New Economics Foundation, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Gallup, the Center for Healthy Minds and the United Nations World Happiness Report find that sustained well-being comes from having a basic level of income; safety and stability; a positive sense of self (individual and group); a sense of belonging and connection; autonomy/freedom; access to healthy food, clean water and clean air; a connection with nature; physical activity; generosity and care for others; curiosity and learning; the ability to be in the moment; adequate sleep; a resilient mindset; opportunities to reach our highest potential and a sense of purpose greater than ourselves.

What is promising about well-being is that as a central idea, it can transform every aspect of society. Imagine if the purpose of schools is to develop the well-being and highest potential of all its students. What if the purpose of organizations was to create a place that engages people’s highest potential and facilitates well-being for both those who work in the organization and for the people the organization serves? Happiness Works, a consulting firm in the United Kingdom, has found that happy employees have 30 percent greater productivity and 54 percent better retention rates, and are three times more creative.

Countries such as the United Kingdom and Bhutan and states such as Utah and Maryland have instituted goals and indicators related to well-being. Cities such as Minneapolis and Santa Monica, California, have also undertaken similar initiatives. Minneapolis, for example, measures how far people commute, whether housing is affordable and safe, plus other quality-of-life issues and demographic and socioeconomic data.

As I look back at my earlier experiences, I see that the values, systems and cultural mindsets inherent in my education and community life (in both the U.S. and Japan) were not focused on well-being. If they were, it would have made an immense difference.

By putting well-being at the center, what would your work life and personal life look like? What would your organization’s structure, processes, policies and culture look like? What would your neighborhood, roads, buildings, parks and sidewalks look like? How would we structure our schools differently? Madison could be among the cities that take well-being seriously and build it into every aspect of planning.

Our nation is in a crucial time of transition. Instead of dwelling on the uncertainty of what the next four years may hold, I believe the Madison region can come together in an inclusive and culturally responsive way to create a shared vision and collaborative action aimed at achieving well-being for all.