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5.0 out of 5 stars
A Bold, Honest and Courageous Insight!!!, Dec 18 2001
This review is from: Diversity Blues: How to Shake'em, Identify, Confront and Resolve Race and Gender Issues in the Workplace (Paperback)
Dr. Gladys Hankins has done an excellent job at highlighting many of the subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination in corporate America. Her insight is rather compelling with documented real-life interviews and workshops with working adults of different races and gender, as well as individuals working in different capacities and corporate levels. She presents very balanced and fair perspectives of individuals of different racial backgrounds and gender. She has excellently highlighted rather destructive but subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination that are designed consciously or unconsciously to stifle or frustrate many talented and hardworking individuals in corporate America. She has presented these issues in a constructive and non-judgmental manner. No well-meaning company executive and leader would read this book without being propelled to "question" their own stand on fostering true diversity which must include fairness and equity in giving all deserving individuals (regardless of race and gender) equal opportunities for career development and vertical promotion. After reading this book, any well-meaning company executive and leader would be propelled to playing an imaginary role of switching places with a very qualified and hardworking woman or minority man. Such a person must then ask how they would feel if a glass or concrete ceiling were placed on them regardless of their output, productivity, talents, abilities and skills. In this book, Dr. Hankins does a terrific job of bringing out your humanity and reminding you that empowering others equates to empowering yourself, your company, your community and the country as a whole. Dr. Hankins very nicely addresses the White Male fears of seeing any kind of advancement of women or minority men. She brings to light that the feelings and fears of the White Male must be adequately addressed before real progress in corporate diversity issues can be measured. Finally, she offers empowering statements to women and minority men reminding them that to value self from within still surpasses external value by others. This book pierced through the very heart of many subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination in the workplace bringing to light the "Diversity Blues". Blues that continue to limit great minds and potentials, and essentially causing many companies to operate at 50% of their human potential. This book is a "must read" for every company executive and leader because it holds many empowering tools that can help any company maximize the potentials of their intelligent, hardworking, well-meaning and well-deserving employees of the human race. Five stars to "Diversity Blues" and congratulations to Dr. Hankins for a brilliant job!!!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
An Incredibly Well-rounded, Bold and Honest Insight !!!, Dec 17 2001
This review is from: Diversity Blues: How to Shake'em, Identify, Confront and Resolve Race and Gender Issues in the Workplace (Paperback)
Dr. Gladys Hankins has done an excellent job at highlighting many of the subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination in corporate America. Her insight is rather compelling with documented real-life interviews and workshops with working adults of different races and gender, as well as individuals working in different capacities and corporate levels. She presents very balanced and fair perspectives of individuals of different racial backgrounds and gender. She has excellently highlighted rather destructive but subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination that are designed consciously or unconsciously to stifle or frustrate many talented and hardworking individuals in corporate America. She has presented these issues in a constructive and non-judgmental manner. No well-meaning company executive and leader would read this book without being propelled to "question" their own stand on fostering true diversity which must include fairness and equity in giving all deserving individuals (regardless of race and gender) equal opportunities for career development and vertical promotion. After reading this book, any well-meaning company executive and leader would be propelled to playing an imaginary role of switching places with a very qualified and hardworking woman or minority man. Such a person must then ask how they would feel if a glass or concrete ceiling were placed on them regardless of their output, productivity, talents, abilities and skills. In this book, Dr. Hankins does a terrific job of bringing out your humanity and reminding you that empowering others equates to empowering yourself, your company, your community and the country as a whole. Dr. Hankins very nicely addresses the White Male fears of seeing any kind of advancement of women or minority men. She brings to light that the feelings and fears of the White Male must be adequately addressed before real progress in corporate diversity issues can be measured. Finally, she offers empowering statements to women and minority men reminding them that to value self from within still surpasses external value by others. This book pierced through the very heart of many subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination in the workplace bringing to light the "Diversity Blues". Blues that continue to limit great minds and potentials, and essentially causing many companies to operate at 50% of their human potential. This book is a "must read" for every company executive and leader because it holds many empowering tools that can help any company maximize the potentials of their intelligent, hardworking, well-meaning and well-deserving employees of the human race. Five stars to "Diversity Blues" and congratulations to Dr. Hankins for an excellent job!!!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Diversity Blues..a commitment to shake 'em, April 24 2001
This review is from: Diversity Blues: How to Shake'em, Identify, Confront and Resolve Race and Gender Issues in the Workplace (Paperback)
At this crucial point in the history of the world's major organizations, when far too many are struggling for economic survival, Dr. Hankins makes it painfully clear that Diversity is often misunderstood, undervalued, and benignly, if not overtly, neglected. She goes on to make a compelling case for proactively managing diversity; not the least of her arguments is that an ongoing process for managing divesity must be built into every facet of an organization's business. Her prescription for a healthy organization is to implement ongoing diversity that affects a real change in attitudes so that its members acknowledge and respect human and cultural differences. She makes good common sense! A healthy organization is empowered and enabled to deliver critical results that assure business success and profitabilty. Finally! A book on diversity for the boardroom and the lunch bunch! While accomplishing a clear and valid intellectual case for "principle-based diversity in today's workplace, Dr. Hankins conveys a deep understanding of the negative human emotions that foster racism and sexism. She challenged me to introspection and reflection by presenting more than statistics and scientific data alone. Personal and group interviews, along with her own personal experience and observation uncover the raw, destructive nature of racism and sexism. Then, with style and savvy, Dr. Hankins shares a vision for a prejudice-free, discrimination free-organization and addresses key roles all of us must play to create it. Unlike any other dissertation I've read on diversity, "Diversity Blues" has inspired me to reaffirm my commitment to be part of the solution of living a principle-based diversity.
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