While working at Dicks Sporting Goods I have experienced leadership, and diversity within an organization. I have three managers that are all unique in their own way. They all have their own personal values in life. Each manager provides their own perspective of diversity displayed through their leadership. “The diversity literature highlights the importance of satisfying individuals’ belongingness needs in order for them to feel treated like insiders within groups and for leaders to act in an inclusive manner (Northouse 2021).” My managers have done a great job at making every employee feel like they belong at our store in Monaca, Pennsylvania.
We have diversity of different cultures, and even people that were not born in the United States. It doesn’t matter what culture you associate with, or where you were born. My managers treat everyone with respect, and think very highly of all of their employees. “Further, it involves being approachable and reachable to all members of the group, which helps to reduce potential barriers to interaction and information exchange, particularly among those who might typically be considered outsiders (Northouse 2021).” It is fantastic that my mangers connect with their employees because the communication becomes more natural. Instead of not being approachable, and biased towards the employees my managers never make someone feel like they don’t belong there.
“Likewise, diversity researchers emphasize the importance of group members each having a sense of uniqueness, such that their distinct characteristics and contributions are considered to be valuable to the group’s success (Northouse 2021).” When my manager were working on a group project to move all of the winter clothing items, and replace them with sporting equipment for the spring I noticed great leadership skills. He gave each employee the job they were best suited for. There was diversity among all of my co-workers to help get the task completed.
I was given the task of organizing sports socks from color to size. This was a great job for me because I am one of the best employees at my job that can organize in a time efficient way. I was unique that day at work because I was the only employee that was capable of organizing the socks in the correct way before we closed the store. My manager knows his employees characteristics, and what contributions we make at work. He was able to give everyone a task that was best suited for their unique characteristics. Another example is that John is best suited for interacting with customers at the register. He was excluded from the group project because his unique characteristics did not fit the task at hand. My manager was able to set us up for success by being an observant leader.
“Inclusiveness encompasses actions to ensure equity and justice within the group, which reduces the likelihood of bias or differences in treatment based on a member’s value to the team (Northouse 2021).” This brought my attention to the leadership skills of all three of my managers. They all treat everyone with respect, and everyone is viewed as a valuable employee. There are no biases because everyone is treated equally. My mangers expect us to treat them how they treat us with respect and patients. Every employees deserves the same right to justice.
References:
Northouse, P.G. (2021). Leadership: Theory & Practice (9th e.d.). SAGE Publishing.