Imagine having to whittle a list of 60 values down to 10, 5, 2, and ultimately 1. Over the past few weeks the Multicultural Leadership Program (MCLP) Class of 2012 has been doing exactly that.
Discussion leader Diana Hauman, President of Ddh Enterprises, Inc., stressed at the MCLP session Feb. 4 that the values each of us hold drive our relationships, actions, wellbeing, and the way we lead. They also affect how others view us. “My perception is my truth,” she said.
Different people view situations differently because of their personal values, Hauman said before posing the following real-life situation to the class.
You are at a dinner where four couples and good friends are present. The check was brought at the end of the meal which you caught a glance at first – it equaled $300. One person at the table took it upon himself to split the check and asked each couple for $120. Knowing that each couple should have owed $75, how would you deal with this situation?
The MCLP participants conducted a detailed discussion from each person’s perspective based on their primary value. As they verbalized their own opinions and what their reactions would be, they worked together in understanding why what one person says could be perceived differently by another. Two other situations were presented by Hauman, then discussed by the class.
More about the Feb. 4 MCLP session can be found here.