"You're Not World Class If You're Not Actively About Inclusion"

Photo of mural created by Green Star Movement (Chicago, 2017).

I'm pumped! These recent words from star basketballer Stephen Curry brought me to this feeling:

"Here's the truth: You're not world class if you're not actively about inclusion."
​
Yesterday, Curry published an article entitled, "This Is Personal," advocating gender equality for his growing daughters— and all daughters.

I wanted to develop new thought around the idea that world class status requires active inclusion— and share with you as a contribution to an ongoing social discourse.

​How would the standard of all things be elevated if we linked the measure of "world class" with the wellbeing of the world?

I failed just as I started. I Googled the dictionary definition of "world class." And then, I realized that I was looking to an old world order to define a new world vision. ​What I call failure is what my friend, medical intuitive Julie Burns Walker, refers to as Core Lore. She says that we participate in Core Lore "when we arbitrarily follow the patterns of our families or those around us, without questioning them"; that "if we are not conscious about what we believe, then we end up claiming the beliefs of others." That's not progress. We know that doing what you've always done gets you what you've always gotten.

I propose that we evolve the definition of "world class": Of, or among the best for, the world. This is version 2.0.

I propose that we evolve the definition of "world class": Of, or among the best for, the world. This is version 2.0; that next-level sh!t. If I were to entrust my understanding to Google dictionary without question, I might unwittingly take up the belief that the term means, "Of or among the best in the world." Having given it a moment's thought, the difference of that one word is a constraint that I'm unwilling to consciously accept. How would the standard of all things be elevated if we linked the measure of "world class" with the wellbeing of the world?

Inclusion is world class because it is best for our world. Inclusive mindsets produce superior outcomes and advance human "be-ing." The working definition of inclusion that I'm working towards with client-partners is about: 

• People learning their full selves so that we work at full capacity;
• Purpose that's influenced and owned by those who share a stake; 
• Placemaking in anticipation of new ways of being together.

As much as inclusion is about universal values and cultural norms, this practice is also deeply personal. It's about personal choice and personal change. Inclusion cannot happen without you. 

Virtually yours,

Malii Watts Carolyn
EngageBetween.com

#StephenCurry #Inclusion #GenderEquality #WorldClassForTheWorld #ThisIsPersonal