When I think of the word “diversity,” so many things spring to mind—gender, age, race, national origin, religion, culture, social class, education, sexual orientation, physical abilities or attributes, and political beliefs. There are so many things that make each of us unique, and different from one another, but as author and businessman Stephen Covey once so perfectly put it, “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”
NAWBO National has embraced this philosophy within our organization of women business owners and partners. And we have recently taken steps to increase our diversity because we know that by embracing our differences, we are ultimately better together. In this issue of NAWBO ONE with the theme of “Diversity,” you’ll hear from members of our NAWBO National Membership Committee who were involved in the launch of a Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. The initiative is designed to bolster empowerment and inclusion of women business owners across all backgrounds and industries—and we’re already making great progress.
To help support a more diverse membership, NAWBO National also recently launched a new Member Referral Program that delivers an amazing incentive when three or more members you refer join at the Premier membership level: complimentary registration to our National Women’s Business Conference. New members can also use a special promo code to get their member initiation fee waived. It’s a definite win-win that you’ll read about in this month’s NAWBO ONE!
Additionally, you’ll learn about the NAWBO Indianapolis chapter’s bi-partisan Government Affairs Committee that has capitalized on their political diversity to engage and educate chapter leaders and members and power their local, state and national advocacy efforts. This committee of two Republicans, two Democrats and one Independent may sit on different sides of the aisle, but they have many goals and objectives in common. They understand the pendulum always swings and the need to be prepared and prepare members to have relationships with all sides.
Diversity is important to our success in our individual businesses as well. Though we share things in common with the people we employ and work with, at the end of the day, everyone is their own person—with different backgrounds, personalities, skills, years of experience, perspectives and more—and has the ability to bring something special to the table. This can be a major plus when it comes to fostering creativity, generating fresh ideas, entering new markets and more.
Here are a few other benefits of diversity in the workplace, according to TalentLyft:
It’s such an exciting time here at NAWBO as we embark on so many great initiatives both nationally and in our chapters. Thank you for bringing your diversity to the table as one of our members, partners or supporters—we value and appreciate it and know it makes us even stronger!
—Molly Gimmel, 2018-2019 NAWBO National Chair