Ask Yourself What Stories You Tell Yourself About “Others”

I recently watched and discussed Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s thought-provoking TedX Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” with my class. In it she shares several instances of how everything from the books we read as children to the stories people told us growing up can – perhaps too easily – shape our whole opinion about people who are different from us. And sometimes even ourselves. While her main frame of reference was her field of expertise, which is literature, the same concept can apply to all of us across all professions. Whether we notice it or not, how we engage with colleagues and customers and how we deliver whichever service our job requires are ultimately impacted by the stories we’ve chosen to believe about them.

This week, take some time to think about what those stories are and how they influence how you show up. Ask yourself:

·       Do you tell an uplifting or a catastrophic story about people you see as “others?”

·       Do your stories about “others” focus on difference only, or do you give some thought to your potential commonalities?

·       What story do you want your work and your conduct to tell about how you view “others?”

I’m sure we all have some “single stories” to confront and challenge.