Future Aspirations

I am not sure if my first job as a professional who is new to student affairs or perhaps an allied industry will include supervision from the start. That said, I am sensitive to the idea of inclusiveness, especially considering the current political climate where division is becoming increasingly common. I believe that being inclusive is something that starts as an idea of wanting to hear different voices from any given environment where there are groups of people. If you want to include people, you must be willing to interact with them and listen to them. Perhaps one must have a personality that enjoys being with people to make them part of any environment. I’m not necessarily a “people person”, but I do know that most careers involve working with people. I would rather work with a diverse group of people that enjoy being together so by default that means being inclusive.

I think that to be an inclusive supervisor, I would start with the hiring process. If I were able to assist in that effort, I would look for individuals from diverse backgrounds who reflect the student or client population. Those reflections would have to go beyond appearance to examine life experiences and where the individual is on their employment journey. Unique circumstances create interesting people who potentially can bring a lot to an organization.

The dismantling of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) on a national basis gives me pause to put it mildly. As someone who wants to change careers and work with students or in allied areas that support college bound students, I would want to make sure I work for an organization that believes a diverse workforce is deserving of equity and to be included. As an employee, especially one in a supervisory capacity, I would want to continue upholding the tenets of DEI. I would continue to celebrate the months and weeks that recognize various members of our community e.g. Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Pride, etc. I would decorate spaces to celebrate the various times that certain populations are being honored. I would ask those who identify as part of a given community to share their ideas that would make our space welcoming not just during designated time periods, but year-round.

I am not sure if my personality has elements that might be barriers to an inclusive environment. I recently did a DiSC assessment for my job. I learned that I am a “C” or “Conscientious” with tendencies toward “Dominance”. The report resonated a lot with how I perceive myself, although I was a little surprised by the “Dominance” aspect. But the “Conscientious” traits lean toward being cautious and reflective. That could render me not as responsive as I need to be in ideas about inclusivity. The “Dominance” designation could mean I’m a little too blunt, when I shouldn’t be and that could hamper other voices, too.

I think the best way to enhance my abilities in being an inclusive supervisor is to seek out and partake of training that promotes inclusivity in the workplace. Reading books and articles to educate myself in this area would be beneficial, too.