Different Colours, One People
Chevron News - January - April 2009, Pg. 4
By March Oyinki
Many years ago when the late South African reggae musician, Lucky Dube, sang "Different Colours, One People," it was to address an obvious diversity gap that existed at that time especially in his country where people were judged not by the content of their character but the colour of their skin. And the renowned musician simply tried to impress it on people that no society which practices racial discrimination enjoys peace.
The Oxford Dictionary defines diversity as variety; several different kind. Notwithstanding whether you are from a different race, tribe, profession or group, the ability to relate with others is important. And in a company, this is paramount for the purpose of growing and moving forward the organization. As the saying goes, "no matter how large a tree becomes, it can never make a forest."
In a company, diversity is not only about the appreciation of race or colour of skin, but also about the appreciation of the contributions of everyone and every job. It is an appreciation of what the leadership and the subordinate do. It is an appreciation of the work of the chief executive, the foreman, manager, and the messenger or cleaner. It is about not looking down on people because of the kind of jobs they do.
Let us try not to be like the arrogant professor who was "so intelligent" that he would mock anyone he thought was less knowledgeable. One day, as the story goes, the professor boarded a ferry to take him to the other side of town across the river. The journey began. As the boatman got to the middle of the river, a strong wind blew and the canoe swayed as the waves splashed the boat from side to side.
The professor, obviously afraid of drowning, asked the boatman, "when do you think we will get to the other side?"
"I don’t know," the boatman replied.
The professor, very furious, said, "You must be an idiot. What on earth do you know? There is nothing I’ve asked you that you have ever known. You don’t know how to calculate simple velocity, which is the change in distance divided by the change in time."
"I don’t no sir, I no go to school," said the old boatman in pidgin English.
At that moment, the wind got stronger, and the waves grew bigger and started hitting hard on the boat. Water started entering the canoe.
The professor now terrified, asked the boatman, "Are we going to drown?" The boatman replied, "It depends."
"Depends on what?" the professor asked.
"You know about ‘swimology?" the boatman asked. "No," said the professor, "And what does that mean?"
"Oh, then you are the biggest idiot," said the boatman. He hissed and took a dive into the river, leaving the professor in the boat to his fate.
The lesson of this story? It is impossible to be a master of everything. We must learn to respect and accommodate each other.
Effectiveness in the work place is not only about the talented individual, but in the harnessing of the different skills brought to the table by various individuals. In other words, there is no substitute for teamwork and mutual respect.
It is for this reason that diversity is one of Chevron’s core values as clearly stated in The Chevron Way: "We learn from and respect the cultures in which we work. We value and demonstrate respect for the uniqueness of individuals and the varied perspectives and talents they provide. We have an inclusive work environment and actively embrace a diversity of people, ideas, talents and experience."
