People of #Color

What do you we mean when we say people of color? How did we arrive at this? When we say some are colored does it mean some are colorless? The more I think about this broad classification of the human race into white and colored the more it does not make sense. In our attempt to come up with a simple classification scheme we have created a distortion of the human family that is not necessary. That is why it is necessary to visit this issue and make the necessary changes. The marketplace is becoming more and more diversified and you will sooner or later work on a team with people who do not look like you. Your effectiveness in interacting with the members of your team will be determined by how you view the color classification scheme that is currently in place. Is color to you more than the shade of somebody’s skin? In order words do you use the melanin content of somebody’s skin to evaluate their ability to contribute on your team? Do you think somebody’s performance and output is determined by the color of their skin? Do you think some people do not deserve to be on the team solely because of the color of their skin? Do you reject ideas and contributions from other team members, because you “know” or have been told that people of a certain complexion cannot deliver? Are stereotypes preventing you from maximizing your interactions with other members of your team? It is time for you to drop your stereotypes and begin interacting with your team members based on who they really are and not on the color of their skin. The companies that are going to survive in the future are those that don’t only pay lip service to diversity, but are proactive in unlearning the negative stereotypes used in qualifying other humans. We have come a long way, but there is a longer road ahead of us. Let us do away with our lazy classification of the human family. If we want to come up with colors of the human skin let us not use two big brushes to paint two colors. Let us be courageous enough to ensure that every shade of color is represented. My hair is black and I have a hard time understanding why my skin is considered black. Really? Are we color blind? Maybe the four year old who told her mum, “I have seen a brown baby”, gets it and the most of the adults do not. My wife was at the store with our five month old baby and overheard a four year old boy telling her mother that he has seen a brown baby. Whoever came up with the people of color classification failed to capture the complexity of the color spectrum of human skin pigmentation and it is time to revisit it. You can participate by refusing to use this broad language when interacting with others. www.erictangumonkem.com

Voice Of The Cross - Sing Halleluyah

Hillary Clinton stands against Arctic drilling | Offshore Energy Today

Hillary Clinton stands against Arctic drilling | Offshore Energy Today

The power of being intentional in all you do

Nothing happens in a vacuum. Success is not reserved for those that are lucky. Being Intentional is what sets those who are successful apart. Yesterday evening our ten year old daughter launched her first book titled “Swimming to Success: A Story About Overcoming All Odds.” This book is a result of being intentional in raising our children. For you to grow in your business and in every area of your life you have to be intentional with your time, resources and associations. You have to start with the end in sight, talk the talk and walk the talk. As a family we are intentional about travelling, reading, setting up our house and watching TV.

Travelling: As a kid my dad always said travelling is education. At first I did not get it, but now as a parent I do. Traveling offers you the opportunity to meet other people, see new places, learn new things and increases your cultural intelligence or (QC). Each summer we take a road trip and have visited more than twenty states already. We encourage our children to be observant and to write a report at the end of the trip. Reading: We read to our kids when they are young and talk about reading as often as possible. One of our traditions is reading through a book as a family. We take turns to read and at the end we discuss any lessons learned. Our goal right now is to read through the entire Bible, we are in the book of Second Kings. Another tradition is going to the Richardson public library to read and checkout books and movies. We do this come rain come shine. There are days I am tired and feel like not going, but have to. Setting up our home: Books are on display and accessible too. There is a section of the house dedicated to books.

Watching TV: We watch TV during the weekend. During the week we do not watch TV, we entertain ourselves by reading.

Encouraging and inspiring one another: When our daughter said she was going to write her book, I promised her that the book will be published if she writes it. I did not be little her idea or discard it. She was encouraged and motivated to write the book and throughout the whole process we cheered her on. You may be wondering what this has to do with your professional life. Well! To be truly successful you have to take a 360 degree look at your life. You have to be intentional about your career, health, spiritual wellbeing, family etc. You can start being intentional today. Start with envisaging where you want to be, what you want to be, then get into action. You can order copies of Swimming to success here. www.erictangumonkem.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Ntsogmboma