Gathering diverse perspectives

I recently found myself explaining that a guiding principle of Changeboard is a deep-seated desire to accommodate ‘diverse perspectives’ on any given subject. After being challenged on the statement’s meaning, I decided to reflect on the notion of ‘being diverse’.

My trusty Oxford English Dictionary is full of long-established words that habit has taught me are a good anchor for thoughts. ‘Diverse’, adj: ‘showing a great deal of variety’. It is clearly a dynamic word denoting ‘difference’ and ‘different’, and explains in human terms what different people can bring to the party. Ever since I was a student directing plays, I recognised the richness that could be brought to every element of text and performance by experimenting with the diverse interpretations from a cast of actors.

The state of being diverse is now usually synonymous with ‘diversity’, which often hinges upon the politics of demographics – race, ethnicity, shape, size and more. It’s important not to lose sight of the breadth and depth of the experiences and thinking that provide the insight and interest of diverse lives.

In microcosm, in Changeboard’s workplace, we see the fluency with which new team members, true digital natives, translate legacy content into a digital and social universe. At large, our mission is to provide the platform and tools to democratise thinking and learning about the world of work, from as many perspectives as possible. Our conferences and events are a live expression of this. Our belief is that bringing speakers from the arts, education, politics, entertainment, academia, science and medicine to share ideas on ‘future talent’ topics lends a richness that complements and catalyses business thinking on the major challenges of our time.

Going forward, our challenge to ourselves is to innovate, so that we can truly enfranchise the diverse perspectives about work and career-related topics from our global community. In our digital age, civic journalism is one of the most powerful expressions of diverse perspectives.

‘The readiness is all’ is my oft-quoted favourite line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It applies well here.