How have you promoted diversity in your work center?

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 13:02:40 -0400

Diversity is the strength of our Air Force. How have you promoted it? It's time we share this valuable knowledge with each other!

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Oct 6 at 2015 1:03 PM

SCPO David Lockwood — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 13:03:41 -0400

We always promoted diversity!

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 6 at 2015 1:04 PM

1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 13:04:40 -0400

We don't. we hire those that apply and meet the qualifications, regardless of race, color, creed or sex. They have no bearing.

Response by MSgt James Mullis made Oct 6 at 2015 2:26 PM

MSgt James Mullis — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 14:26:57 -0400

As a long retired dinosaur, I'm curious about this post. Diversity is built into the Air Force accession process. I don't understand how you could "promote" diversity in a shop where your individual membership is sent to you from the Air Force Personnel Center? AFPC might look at installation and unit diversity during the assignment process. Also, at the unit and shop level, you could "celebrate" and possibly "educate" your members on the diverse nature (race, religion, country of origin, sexual orientation, etc) of the Air Force at events such as commander's calls, holiday parties and luncheons. However, that's not really promoting diversity. I guess you could pick out individuals for special mentorship, but that seems unfair to the rest of your shop.

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 6 at 2015 3:43 PM

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:43:38 -0400

I just got the letter from SecDef Carter about promoting diversity and providing support to Lean in Circles. I'm not buying into this whole "we need more diversity" program. Diversity has never provided anything more than diversity itself. Somehow people got into their minds that diversity increases productivity, competency, excellence, or something. Creativity comes out of exercised minds...not because your skin tone is different or because what sex you are or anything else we like to classify people on through demographics. Let's get our eyes back on the goal rather than focusing on being this ever changing mantra called political correctness.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Oct 6 at 2015 4:30 PM

Cpl Jeff N. — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 16:30:46 -0400

Diversity, in and of itself is not a strength or a weakness. You get the best people regardless of background to do the job. People also have to fit into the chemistry of the unit. It isn't as easy as saying I want 5 men and 5 women and of those 10, X need to be white, Y need to be black, Z need to Asian etc. That is not a valid or logical way to assemble a high performance team. That might be an outcome but it should not be the goal.

Mission first. Everyone should know that, clearly some do not. Skill is skill, demographics are demographics, don't confuse the two.

Response by MSgt Dwyane Watson made Oct 6 at 2015 9:34 PM

MSgt Dwyane Watson — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 21:34:26 -0400

I always did, do a good job and work your butt off or I would diversify your butt right out the door and I didn't care what age, sex, race, or religion you were. If you are a good NCO focus on your people and the job, quite being a hand wringing liberal and worrying about diversity. I never saw black, women or other religions, I saw airmen who needed to be trained and mentored; end of story.

Response by SrA Art Siatkowsky made Oct 7 at 2015 12:36 AM

SrA Art Siatkowsky — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 00:36:45 -0400

The strength of our military is that everyone is a patriot regardless of race or gender.....not politically correct diversity. There is no quota on being a patriot.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Oct 7 at 2015 1:14 AM

Capt Seid Waddell — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 01:14:39 -0400

No. Skin color is irrelevant; skill level and dedication rule.

Response by SPC Chris Dorsey made Oct 7 at 2015 2:07 AM

SPC Chris Dorsey — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 02:07:20 -0400

I always promote unity. In the military it doesn't matter sex, race, religion, ect. The person beside you was your brother or sister and you trusted them as they did you. Unity is the hard concept to teach because the PC world pounds diversity down our throats. United we stand, divided we fall.

Response by SrA Matthew Knight made Oct 7 at 2015 4:35 AM

SrA Matthew Knight — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 04:35:24 -0400

Promoting diversity? All I have really seen is those who are Christian or anything else against the typical flow generally being forced to keep quiet about our opinions or thoughts because if we say anything different from what others want us to think we are immediately put down and met with negativity. I hate to say it but in the effort to become more diverse and tolerant of diversity we are becoming more intolerant to those who don't share the same progressive opinions.

I will give an example based off of a real situation I witnessed with names removed of course. So the situation was SrA J watching a youtube music video involving a scantily clad female singer while at their very open to the world computer desk at work. SSgt N (who happens to be a known faithful Christian) tells SrA J that the video is inappropriate for the work place and may upset someone so they must turn it off. Later on SSgt N is reading his Bible at his desk, in no way speaking out loud or trying to push it on anyone, just silently reading. SrA J sees this and decides to be a smartass and tells SSgt N that he should put away his Bible at work because it might offend him or another Airman.

People aren't as open to diversity as they claim to be. They just accept whatever is the norm in daily culture and treat those who don't like crap and it's getting old. Gone are the days of treating others like you want to be treated or earning respect and now are the days of "You will respect me and my opinion or I will report you and do my best to destroy your career and others opinions of you."

Sorry if this didn't go the way you were expecting the answer to go but Diversity is nothing more than a cloak covering the intolerance towards groups that are becoming the minorities now.

Response by TSgt Gwen Walcott made Oct 7 at 2015 10:21 AM

TSgt Gwen Walcott — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 10:21:56 -0400

Mission comes before politics or ego-boosting

Response by SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 7 at 2015 6:27 PM

SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 18:27:05 -0400

How do you define diversity? Simply being in the Air Force is supporting diversity. Working with people from different regions of the country, different backgrounds, different tastes in sports teams etc. is diversity by definition?

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 8 at 2015 2:17 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 14:17:18 -0400

It starts with the basic premise that everyone deserves equal opportunity, dignity, and respect.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2015 2:19 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 14:19:36 -0400

I believe "promoting diversity" is the wrong way to approach it. The issue should be promoting workplace unity and mission accomplishment, while treating everyone as one team.

"Promoting diversity" creates a divide.

Response by MSgt Karl Mayfield made Oct 8 at 2015 3:20 PM

MSgt Karl Mayfield — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 15:20:34 -0400

I think the military lost the focus on this subject. We all came from different backgrounds and world experience. As a leader you're responsible for taking all these different people and making one unit. For me, At the end of the day the person next to me was blue. An United States Airman, and in the end my friends and comrades bleed red on the battlefield.

Response by SPC Christopher Perrien made Oct 8 at 2015 5:06 PM

SPC Christopher Perrien — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 17:06:32 -0400

Well you could push to outlaw Pork being served , that might bring in a lot more Muslims and Jews into the military. :)

Response by Capt Al Parker made Oct 13 at 2015 4:11 PM

Capt Al Parker — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 16:11:54 -0400

Treat EVERYBODY EQUAL,

Response by MSgt Paul Anderson made Oct 13 at 2015 11:21 PM

MSgt Paul Anderson — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 23:21:20 -0400

Diversity is our strength ?
What about being qualified and able to do our jobs the best possible.
Diversity doesn't mean anything if you can't do the job or if the standards were lowered.
PC for PC sake can be killers in the military.
Me? Retired EOD tech.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 14 at 2015 8:45 PM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 20:45:23 -0400

I was in a position where I hired staff for several years. I always hired the person who I believed was most qualified.

The only exceptions was when I hired a person with a disability because someone else was going to pick up the pay for a year. She turned out to be one of the best employees I ever had.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 24 at 2015 6:17 AM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 06:17:08 -0400

There is an inherent diversity in the military. The leaders must ensure there is equal opportunity.

Response by Capt Al Parker made Nov 19 at 2015 4:12 PM

Capt Al Parker — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 16:12:48 -0500

IN my 47 years working for Uncle Sam in and out of uniform the times I saw race and diversity used was because the person wouldn't perform to standards. Then the boss's would use diversity to excuse the poor performance.