Book Review

Diversity: Leaders Not Labels
By Dale Britto

Stedman Graham’s Diversity: Leaders Not Labels (2006) is about “changing the way we think about our possibilities, which is not just an option these days—it is a requirement.”

Diversity is changing the face of our world and is changing our workforce into a global marketplace.  Graham’s book explores different cultures and histories of those living in America and the resulting effects when they meet or collide as the case may be.

The book addresses the challenges diversity brings and the transformation process we all must endure to survive. It defines what diversity truly means and makes us reevaluate our personal definition. It also explains labels, stereotyping and racial profiling, how damaging and counterproductive they are and how others have risen above them.

Through examples of people encountering diversity in the workplace and in their personal lives, the author provides a visual picture of how others have addressed and overcome diversity. Global time lines are provided, and Graham even uses his own childhood as an example of how his thinking was affected by what happened to him and how it took time for him to change and understand. The book emphasizes the need for all of us to eliminate cultural misunderstandings, overcome old barriers and redefine ourselves on our own terms.      

Diversity: Leaders Not Labels is interesting, keeps the reader’s attention and forces you to ask yourself:

• Are you diverse?
• Have you been labeled or stereotyped?
• Do you see diversity in your workplace?
• How can you transcend it?

Some areas of the book are vague, but overall, Diversity: Leaders Not Labels raises diversity awareness and provides insight into how to move forward.