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…moment I will not soon forget…when a classmate shared wanting to discuss an episode of police brutality against a black man at work but co-workers tip-toed around the episode for fear of not being politically correct...I thought a lot about how I could have made our classmate feel more comfortable in this and similar situations in the future. The best answer I could come up with is two-fold: first, have empathy to realize that this could be something on my co-worker's mind and second...I need to reduce excessive carefulness and engage my co-worker. While my natural tendency would be to be extra careful not to say anything that would be offensive to the other person, I need to take the risk because the alternative, keeping silent, ignores difference altogether.

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...I came to understand that experience within a social identity group can range widely, and that a one-size fits all solution will not suffice. As a future human resources leader, responsible for developing policies, practices and culture for an organization spanning the globe, this realization has affected how I enter my new career. Blanket policies and practices are not enough in our globalized economy - it will be up to myself and my generation of leaders to create work environments in which different experiences, identities, and outcomes are valued, rather than jammed into a box we call "policy." Acknowledging how social identity interacts with experience has created a more solid foundation as I think about how I would like to lead across difference.