Diversity and Becoming The Whole Person

Looking Back: What Trying to Become a Whole Person Showed Me About Diversity

by Drew Bartkiewicz

I have spent so much time with young adults over the last several years that I keep coming back to a recurring theme: “what, they ask, makes a whole person?” And given longer reflection and research on the subject, I get asked the next question; what could a person learn earlier in life to become a whole person at a young adult age?

Looking back at the age of 53 I have enough objects in my rear view mirror to fortunately have some insights. There have no doubt been plenty of shiny objects in my rear view mirror to divert and distract my attention during the course of my life. But the more lasting things in my rear view mirror always come back to people; people who supported you, people who helped keep you sane and happy, inspired and informed, and people who were exactly not like you all along.

In fact, many of the most unique attributes and lasting attitudes of my persona are derived from people exactly not like me.

We tend to look at diversity today as a destination, or a requirement, some type of regulatory rule that mandates or pushes an idea of sameness. But the richness of living in diversity, of realizing its essential role in building the whole person, comes closer to the pleasure of “oneness” than it does sameness.

I learned oneness from professors not like me, but we were one in the goal of learning together.

I managed oneness with soldiers not to like me, but we were one in the goal of defeating an enemy.

I married oneness in a woman not like me, but we were one in the goal of building a beautiful life together.

I experienced oneness from 24 different cultures, but we were one in the goal of trying to understand one another.

And today, out of both necessity and wonder, I lead oneness innovations in a software company that could only exist with the richness, rigor and rewards that diversity brings.

Diversity makes me whole as a person, and my company whole as an organization.

So what’s my advice to young adults on becoming a whole person?

Get Diversity, not for duty but for deep deep delight and wonder.

If you aspire to develop as a whole person, or be a whole member of a team, a whole spouse, a whole dad or a whole friend, then fill your life and work with people not like you. And one day as you look in your own rear view mirror, hopefully the shiny objects of sameness have disappeared - and the diverse people who shared in your oneness all remain.

The Whole Person

Invites Differences in Every Way

Drew Bartkiewicz and Greg Gadson