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“I firmly believe that whether you’re building a company or leading a country, a diverse mix of voices and backgrounds and experiences leads to better discussions, better decisions, and better outcomes for everyone.”
In the week following Republican candidate Donald Trump’s loathsome proposal to stop all travel in and out of the US based on religion, until “we figure out what’s going on” with “terrorism,” there have been a number of voices raised in protest. Finally. Trump’s brand of nationalistic fascism is nothing new, and we’re seeing a resurgence of it around the world as crisis and change make people afraid. But Trump has hit a new low for Americans, at least since Japanese-Americans were interred and stripped of all possessions and dignity in the panic following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December , 1941.
One of the most eloquent voices is Google’s CEO Sundar Pinchal, who speaks with the voice of experience and authority. It’s worth the read for anyone who is concerned about allowing everyone from different cultures the possibility to be respected and to perform their best.
The following is an introduction speech for Rev. Jesse L. Jackson on the occasion of his visit to Europe during Diversity Tour 2010, organized and executed by GrapeVine Promotions International. The speech kicked off a press conference held at the Steinberger Kurhaus Hotel, the Hague (the Netherlands) on 4 February 2010. I’m reprinting it in honor of César Chávez Day, 31 March, 2012.
I was born and raised in California, on the west coast of the US, in 1957. When I was coming of age in the 1960’s, the most prominent civil rights leader for us was César Chávez. As head and co-‐founder of the United Farm Workers, señor Chávez was the embodiment of the migrant workers’ struggle for basic human rights in California and the Southwest. He was, for us, the most visible figure in the struggle for human rights in general.
During his “Fast for Life” on August 21, 1988, Chávez was visited by the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson. Of course, by 1988, I had heard of Rev. Jackson and knew who he was. But Rev. Jackson was “East Coast” (according to Californians, pretty much everything east of Las Vegas is “East Coast”). He was for the blacks; he was distant. Chávez was our man, la familia, the one fighting for la raza. Until that day in August, 1988.
There is an iconic photograph from that day that for many represents putting in perspective the local and regional struggle for migrant workers’ rights in the larger global struggle for human rights everywhere. It shows Chávez, weak and thin from 36 days into his hunger strike, sitting in a simple wooden chair in the dusty sunlight. Kneeling next to him in the dirt is Rev. Jackson. Chávez is passing a simple crucifix that represents his “Fast for Life” to Rev. Jackson. The two appear to be praying together. At this moment, not only is Rev. Jackson accepting the 
symbolism of shouldering Chávez’ struggle, he is also accepting the practice of the fast. From this moment, he himself begins a 3-‐day fast, going from this time forward with only water to sustain him, before passing the cause on to others. This symbolic struggle was then assumed by leaders across the country, which gave enormous attention to the workers’ struggle that Chávez advocated. After this, the plight of migrant workers in California became a national issue, thanks to the intervention of Rev. Jackson. But even more, for we “nativos” it symbolized a joining of forces. Jackson literally and figuratively offering his hand to Chávez, and to us, with a simple, “Hermano, sí se puede.”
And of course that gesture has now echoed across generations and across continents, to where, finally, a man also from a disadvantaged background and of color, ascended the steps to the White House using the same words, “Sí se puede,” – “Yes we can.”
And to me, and to millions of Latinos over the world, the circle was made complete when as one of his first significant and lasting decisions as Chief Executive, President Barack Obama nominated the first Hispanic to the US Supreme Court: Her Honor Sonia Sotomayor. The hand that Rev. Jackson reached out to César Chávez was then offered to Barack Obama, and then through him to maestra Sotomayor. The circle is complete, and we are all stronger for it.
It is with great honor and humility that I introduce to you the pre-‐eminent civil rights leader of our time, the champion of the voiceless and disenfranchised everywhere: Reverend Dr. Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr.
Leo Salazar
4 February 2010
The Hague, the Netherlands
On the face of it, the Netherlands has a lot going for it. While it’s not particularly known for its spectacular natural scenery, it has a history of wealth, stability and well-reasoned politics. Well, recently anyway.
Despite this stable and reasoned background, the Dutch government is debating, today, whether to ban the wearing of the burka. Following closely on the footsteps of France (as they also did with the rejection of the EU constitution — ‘nuf said), legislators in the Netherlands are debating whether the burka can be allowed as an expression of religious freedom or be banned as a security threat and symbol of oppression of women and further (!) converting of Europe to Islam. Given the insecure economic times and perception among the majority populace that many of society’s problems are being caused by outsiders, guess which way they’ll go?
Enter Jitske Kramer and this reasoned and balanced look at the issues (cut/paste to your http://www.translate.google.com browser if you’re having trouble with the Dutch). A part of my comment:
“I see the burka-ban in the Netherlands along the same lines as the Sharia law ban in the State of Oklahoma in the US: a thinly veiled (pardon the pun) attempt to attack Islam by rabidly exaggerating a non-existent threat under the guise of ‘security’ or ‘cultural assimilation’.”
During De Baak’s “Who Are We: Reflections on Dutch Leadership and Society,” we reflected on what leadership in the Netherlands was and what, if possible, other cultures could learn from the Dutch.
On 15 March I attended a MoveOn rally in Riverside, California (US) to express solidarity for the public service workers unions in Wisconsin who were being stripped of their collective bargaining rights. Again I stressed the benefits of working together, espousing the “Dutch model” as an ideal way to achieve sustainable solutions.
You can find my contribution at 04:35 🙂
I got a request through LinkedIn for advice. A certain Joshua A. Agustí, an aspiring, young recent college graduate in Chicago looking to begin his career in Training, Human Resources Development, and an Organizational Development practitioner. He told me he is interested in combining his knowledge and skills to increase human capital for businesses/organizations on a global scale.
I thought, fine. I’m probably one of many that Joshua has sent his email to. Nevertheless, I admire his ambition and the simple fact that he’s taking the trouble to ask. And, as you’ve read below, helping people is what life is all about, isn’t it? I thought to share my answer here.
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Hello Joshua,
Thank you for your message. I’m honored that you consider me a valuable resource and have taken the time to ask my opinion.
Having said that, I’m not sure how I can help you. What I mean is, 1) I don’t know you very well, and 2) objectively you seem to be doing many things right. Your LinkedIn profile is well-developed, you belong to all the right LinkedIn groups, and your intern experience at LCW and now at Aparecio I’m sure has been putting you in touch with the right people. Just off the top of my head, however, and without knowing more about you, I would recommend the following:
1) Be more personally active: Don’t be afraid to show yourself. State your opinion, give your perspective. Even though I see that you’ve got a great LinkedIn profile, I don’t see that you’re particularly active in the groups. Ask questions, make observations, comment on the posts of others. Be visible. And authentic. I’ve found Twitter to be a great tool for this (more on that later).
2) Be involved with clients’ networks: Even though you seem to be well-networked among OD professional groups, don’t forget: that’s where all the sellers are. In order to get work, you need to be where the buyers are. That means joining groups that are focused on potential client issues: HR, HRD, and line manager groups (project managers, supply chain managers, etc.).
3) Have a social media strategy: LinkedIn is but one part of the puzzle. In order to complete the picture, it’s good to have an overall social media strategy. What I do is I focus on my blog. My Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn posts are mostly designed to steer as many readers as possible to my blog. My blog is my personal home page. Anything you need to know about me professionally is in that one place.
4) Use social media tools to their fullest: Using the various tools to strengthen each other works wonders, but so does using a tool thoroughly. A good example is the weekly Twitter chat #lrnchat. It’s a great place to meet people and to learn more about the learning profession. Read more at: http://lrnchat.com/. There are more tweet chats, you can find a good list here: http://www.meryl.net/2009/05/06/list-of-twitter-chats/
5) Align yourself with high-profile people: How you do this is up to you, but consider sponsoring a speaker or hosting a high-profile corporate figure. Last year I worked with a colleague to bring Rev. Jesse Jackson to Europe. This gives you an anchor to make yourself known. Aside from the inspiring experience it was hanging out with “the Rev” for a whole week, it was great for my profiling – “Oh, you’re the guy who brought Rev. Jackson here!”
6) Develop your own “brand”: It sounds easier than it is, but make sure that when people think “Joshua Agusti” they think “focus area,” whatever that might be. It requires an enormous amount of focus, concentration and consistency. But if you want to be successful, make sure people remember you for what your value is. Continuously build that value by learning, growing and expanding your qualifications. Become licensed in psychometric tools, assessment methods and leadership evaluation tools. Not only does this build value in you, it also helps introduce you to people who can help you.
7) Profile your uniqueness: Especially if your brand is truly unique, you should make the most of it. And I don’t mean “unique” in the sense that it never existed before. Quite the contrary: it could be as common as dirt. But unique in the sense that your target group has never heard of it before. That means making new combinations, a new twist on something old, for example.
8 ) Promote your passion: It’s a lot easier if you feel good about it. And your passion will sell itself.
9) Don’t invest in your “career,” invest in YOU: Your “career” will happen the way you want it to. Don’t be concerned about fitting to a prescribed (or “pre-ascribed,” they’re both applicable) pattern. You can make it what you want. We’ll all be better off for it.
10) It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it: Speaks for itself.
That’s it for now. I hope this helps. If I think of anything else I’ll send it along.
Yours,
Leo
Elmer Dixon, one of the former leaders of the Black Panther Party in the US, will be visiting the Netherlands. He is currently the President of one of
the foremost executive training institutes in the US, Executive Diversity Services. Mr. Dixon will be a featured speaker at the 
“Freedom Festivals” on May 5th.
In addition he will engage students and managers from companies in discussions around the value of diversity. This tour provides many opportunities to engage Mr. Dixon to gain the benefit of his many decades of working within society for change.
You can read more about Mr. Dixon’s life and visit to the Netherlands here. 
I was approached last week by a student from one of the professional universities in the Hague looking for information. She and her fellow students were preparing a fictitious case regarding a merger between KLM, Air France and JAL. Her task was to examine training possibilities to insure that the merger addressed cultural differences.
Coincidentally, I had a meeting planned for the next day, and one of the people planning to be there was formerly one of the directors of KLM during the actual merger with Air France a few years ago. One of his responsibilities during this time was defining training for cabin personnel in dealing with the cultural changes during the merger. A perfect match, in other words. I invited her to join the meeting.
The meeting went very well. The student, Marieke Harderwijk, was very professional and adhered perfectly to our agreed-upon protocol. Later in the day I received the following email from her:
Dear Mr. Salazar,
To begin with, I would like to thank you from my heart that I was able to be a part of the meeting today.
Secondly, I marvel over the fact that you, whom by all appearances seem to me to be a very modest and self-effacing man, have an enormous amount of knowledge and experience. You gave me, a simple student, just like that the chance to attend a very important meeting, sight unseen. There are few people on this earth who would have done that for someone.
I find it especially inspiring how you use your knowledge and experience also in daily life to make the world a better place, such as your project you mentioned between the church and mosque.
Thank you so much!
With warm regards,
Marieke Harderwijk
Even though one doesn’t necessarily help others for extrinsic rewards, this email was certainly a reward for me. I was surprised, and humbled, to have received it. The following Monday was Martin Luther King Day in the US, and his quote sums up my feelings,
“An individual has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow horizons of his particular individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. Every person must decide, at some point, whether they will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ’What are you doing for others?’”
– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., August 11, 1957
I thank YOU, Marieke. From my heart.
I had a meeting with the Imam yesterday in our city. Another major step in getting local support for my Interfaith Dialogue initiative. Even though he is clearly a busy man in an important position, he was very generous with his time. For more than an hour we sat, drank tea and had a conversation about my idea for establishing an interfaith dialogue in Almelo. He was enthusiastic about the idea because it enhances his own mission. He said that even
though his primary duty is to his followers, reaching out to the non-Muslim community is also an essential part of his responsibilities. Coincidentally (or not ;-)), I arrived at the same time he was giving a presentation about Islam and the mosque to a group of about 30 bureaucrats from City Hall. He regularly does the same with schools, civic organizations, other churches and the like. He said, “Even though we don’t proselytize, we do find it important to instruct others in our faith. After all, Mohammed (PBUH) was also surrounded by non-Muslims: Jews and Christians. It was also His responsibility to tell others about His faith.”
What I found most remarkable about our conversation was how learned the Imam was about Christian beliefs. And clearly how much respect he has for other faiths. In his presentation to the city employees, I found him somewhat defensive, without prompting explaining how the Islam is a peace-loving religion and the acts of violence committed in the name of Islam were perverting the teachings. Even though it’s understandable that he would do this, considering the amount of demonizing around the faith, I found it unfortunate. During our one-on-one, however, he was nothing but gracious, generous and supportive. I’ve clearly got the Imam in my corner.
It was interesting, even though the meeting went as expected, there were some interesting surprises. The first is how young the Imam is. A young guy, maybe in his early 30’s. When he was saying prayers and later in front of the group of city hall employees he was dressed in his ceremonial robe and headwear he projected an air of religious authority. But when he met with me he was wearing a simple business suit with tie, giving him the air of a junior associate with an accounting firm. I guess the thin, scraggly mustache didn’t help (no beard, as is the custom of most Turkish men). The second surprise, though it shouldn’t have been surprising, was that he spoke little Dutch. He is relatively new in his position, having been sent by Istanbul to Almelo for this assignment relatively recently. We had an interpreter, a young guy in his early 20’s. We got by, even though we weren’t able to converse on the level I was hoping to. Whenever the sentences or ideas became complex, the kid was a bit lost. He performed admirably, nonetheless. It was interesting to hear that every time he would translate for the Imam, he would, without fail, preface his text with “The Imam says . . . “.
A most amazing blog post on Saturday, 11 September by a certain Pam Geller praising the speech Geert Wilders gave at the site of the WTC in NYC. The caption to this photo was “The Dutch Parliamentarian and freedom fighter Geert Wilders gave a magnificent speech.” My response to this caption: “Wilders is anything but a ‘freedom fighter,’ unless you mean that term to be someone who is fighting to take away the ideals that freedom, liberty and the ‘Dutch tolerance’ stand for.” I was promptly viciously, and personally, attacked by the rabid right-wingers who populate the site.
My further comments regarding this speech:
As an American who lost a dear friend at the Pentagon on 9/11, I can’t think of many things more irrelevant, inappropriate or offensive than Geert Wilders, of all people, giving a speech at Ground Zero and continuously using the inclusive pronoun ‘we.’ As in ‘We are gathered here to draw a line [against Islam].’
It reminds me of that joke:
The Lone Ranger and his faithful Indian companion Tonto are riding on horseback through a narrow canyon, when suddenly they see hundreds of enemy Apaches lined up on the ridges above them.
“It looks like we have a problem, Tonto!,” exclaims the Lone Ranger.
Tonto replies, “What do you mean ‘we’, white man?”
The point being: don’t include me in your ‘we’, Wilders. You have no right to subjugate for your own nefarious purposes my right to freedom.
In another outstanding editorial column in the NY Times, on “Özil the German,” Roger Cohen uses the metaphor of the absence of “the Big Man” in the 2010 World Cup in promoting not only teamwork, but intercultural teamwork.
Mesut Özil - Germany National team WC2010
First, the intercultural part: “My technique and feeling for the ball is the Turkish side to my game. The discipline, attitude and always-give-your-all is the German part,” Özil is quoted as saying. And isn’t this what it’s all about? Searching for the added value in the marrying of different cultures. Of course it can be different – it often is different. But by looking for positive examples and potential role models such as Mesut Özil, especially for the youth, we open the possibility for more to follow in his path.
Secondly, on the second theme of Cohen’s article: how the Germany of Özil and Aogo is such a victory over the Big Man who destroyed Europe, and how we hope that the rest of Africa, not just South Africa, as well can see this as a model. I find the reader’s comments instructive, and there is one in particular that is very appropriate:
“I would disagree that South Africa doesn’t have a ‘Big Man’ His name is Nelson Mandela.”
Is it too much to hope that this year’s World Cup can provide an impetus for global change and universal acceptance?
Effective Intercultural Business 