3 Proven Keys to Successfully Managing Diversity At Home

3 Proven Keys to Successfully Managing Diversity At Home

Managing diversity can be a challenge even for the most experienced leaders. Andrea Cook from Insperity compares managing diversity to hosting a lively dinner party. In her article, “Managing diversity in the workplace: 7 tips for success“, she states that you’ll need to be vigilant and committed to succeed. Her statement is valid for the workplace and applies to leadership at home.

 

Your leadership role doesn’t end when you leave the office for parents. For many of us, this is when the real work begins, going home to motivate, influence, and direct the family. This topic applies to more than the workplace. Today’s diverse culture, specifically in the United States, is often most apparent in the American household where parents must deal with the diversity of personalities, ages, gender, and even race. In a recent report, Dr. Lisa Pearce from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, ascertains that “the structure of adolescents’ families, and thus parental forms, in the United States, have become more heterogeneous and fluid over the past several decades”.

 

3 Tips For Managing Diversity At Home

Managing Diversity at Home Instagram Post

Acknowledge The Differences In Your Children

As parents, we like to think that since we have provided our kids with similar upbringing, advice, and tools for success, they all should respond that same way. Therefore, we constantly compare them to one another, believing they should be similar. We couldn’t be more wrong.

Children experience and view life differently depending on several factors, including outside experiences, others’ influence, and personality types. These differences in worldview can lead to disagreements among siblings and are a source of tension within families. Siblings in a family have shared experiences that sculpt the way they view aspects of life, but their personalities and outside influences will influence their worldviews.

Instill A Standard Set Of Values

I’m sure that most of you would like to have a happy and harmonious household. I’d say that we all want it. Unfortunately, most families rarely enjoy extended periods of harmony, especially with a diverse home. So how do we maintain this state of balance and peace? 

It’s simple: instilling core values in your family.

Some families follow a specific religion, or the family has particular values and traditions passed down over the ages. Whichever path your family chooses, it’s essential to set core values to provide a common baseline for all household members. Despite the varying personality types, this will help all family members adhere to the family’s non-negotiables.

For example, my family does not follow a traditional Christian set of values. However, we do require a more disciplined and organized standard than most. It is likely for our military background. Therefore, respect and integrity are core values of our family, and as such, we have instilled these values in our children and our day-to-day family life.

Get The Entire Family Involved

When parents have multiple children, it can be hard to manage all the personalities without feeling slighted. Even choosing what game to play on Game Night or what to eat for dinner can be challenging. However, it’s vital to ensure that everyone understands their opinion matters.

For example, when all four of the kids were home, Sunday would be game day. We would grab snacks, play some music and play a couple of hours of board games. We would usually choose three games. That way, we would play a different game that everyone liked. Typically, our twins would pick the same game, and our younger daughters would choose other games. This flexibility helps to obtain everyone’s buy-in. For the snack menu, we would let everyone picks a snack, i.e., pizza roles, wingdings, etc., and then we would do a variety of snacks while playing a game.

Conclusion

You’ll find many different types of diversity within your family, and it can be challenging to handle them all. In this post, we’ve provided you with some tips to help you manage the various situations that may arise in your home. We hope these tips have been helpful! If there is anything else we can do for you, we would love to hear how you manage diversity in your own home. Please let us know by commenting below. Also, if you are interested in receiving some help in managing the diversity in your household, check out our family counseling services.

Add Your Comment