Diversity fatigue through the lens of a middle aged white guy

Diversity fatigue through the lens of a middle aged white guy

Scott talks about the problems men have opening up and seeking help and the challenges that lead to high rates of male suicide

Scott talks about his life experiences, his TEDx talks and how he discovered his voice. He talks about his work with #wholemanacademy and through this organisation wants to tell stories of male experiences to remove the stigma of male vulnerability that often lead to high rates of male suicide. Please join in the conversation and leave your comments below.

 

Published: 13.06.2020 Recorded: 24.02.2020 Duration: 1:00:17 Downloads: 238

 

Joanne sat down to talk to Scott McArthur of Sculpture Consulting to discuss ‘Diversity Fatigue through the lens of a middle-aged white guy.’

Scott feels we are now at an interim phase where Diversity and Inclusion is everywhere, a hot topic across all businesses, which should not be the case. He feels it should instead be something that we don’t have to discuss, something that is just the norm.

Personally, Scott dislikes labelling, especially the toxic ‘masculinity’ phrase. He believes it is counter intuitive because by labelling people they begin to take on that label. He has found with his conference/speaking business diversity has had a negative impact on the work opportunities available to him. This interim phase we are currently in can be exceedingly difficult for people to navigate, the environment is full of people who may be easily offended, and others may become toxic due to the labelling. We want to work towards a culture where we are all able to thrive and we are making progress towards this, but we need to be able to ask questions and not make judgements. Sometimes that can mean questioning our own upbringing and the impact it has had upon us, we all have cognitive biases but if we accept different perspectives, we can learn so much from one another. It can hold a mirror up to us as we meet people who challenge our beliefs. Within the Diversity & Inclusion space we have two polarised caps – the people who won’t change and the people who demand change and there is often no space for the centralised view point, where we can come together and have honest conversations, without fear of reprisal if we get it wrong.

There are currently lots of initiatives that favour women, ethnic minorities, different faiths so quite often a middle-aged white male can feel as though he is being forgotten about. Scott formed a group called the ‘whole man academy’, created as a space for men to talk, something that they are not historically good at being open with. He has found since it has been formed the largest percentage of attendees are female and the LGBT community. His target audience is his minority group. Women naturally come together and will be open and discuss their feelings, whereas this is not something that men feel comfortable doing. They often do not feel comfortable asking for help or being honest about their struggles.

Historically the driving force behind companies was scalable efficiency, where there would be companywide standard terms and conditions, standardised uniforms, collective bargaining. This is now counter to what is happening in our lives as we want things that are individual for us, not for our tribes. We will no longer accept the collective model. If you want my skills, you need to give me what I need in my life. We can do things efficiently but at an individual level. Culture we live in is changing and will drive a demand for companies to treat us as individuals. Bespoke products but for everybody.

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Joanne Lockwood SEE Change Happen

A huge thank you to our wonderful guest

Scott McArthur Sculpture Consulting