The Doug Noll Show

Immigration. It’s a hot issue in Congress and in politics as we wrestle with whether to open, close, leak or dike our borders from immigrants. Of course, the reason people risk life and limb to come here is for work and economic opportunity. Regardless of where you stand on the immigration issue, the fact is that a lot of people, especially Hispanic people, now live and work in this country. Because they bring different languages, food, customs, and culture with them, there is bound to be conflict. In this show, we will talk about these conflicts and what can be done about them to keep peace in our communities.

Many of the conflicts that arise in our communities stem from misunderstandings about very different cultural practices. In addition, sometimes we fail to realize that the new people in our community working at the low end jobs come from poverty and may be undereducated or illiterate even in their own countries. Is there any wonder they are confused and frustrated by the complexity of modern society.

Conflicts over jobs, school, resources, rules and regulations all occur every day in every community with immigrant populations. We talk about the need to reach out to these people rathter than ostracizing them. If we want to stop gang violence, for example, wse need to embrace the children, respect them and include them. Gangs form from kids feeling isolated and alienated. So our attitudes towards our new immigrant neighbors affect our lives and communities very directly.

The best defense is a good offense. No matter what happens on the political scene, stopping immigration leakage along our borders is economically and physically impossible. We can expect immigration to continue for many years. At the community level, regardless of how we feel about undocumented people, opening our hearts, extending ourselves to understand and respect them, and including them in our community is the only way to create lasting community peace and harmony.

Sex, politics and religion—the three subjects you don’t raise at the office. Yet these topics and the values they represent define what it means to be human. So often, however, conflicts arise over sex, politics and religion, especially at the office. Is it possible to develop healthy attitudes towards sex, politics and religion at the office? I will be talking about these common experiences in this show. Why are these such hot topics? Does anyone really think that repressing sex, politics and religion works? These are about what makes us human and our basic values are formed from and around them. Why aren’t we allowed to bring our values to work? I talk about all of this and more.

The law establishes five protected classes of people from employment discrimination. Employers may not discriminate because of age, disability, gender, race and national origin, or religion. The law does not make being a jerk illegal, however. So there is a lot of room for unhealthy attitudes around sex, politics and religion to develop and destroy a company.

There are key leadership characteristics that support a healthy attitude towards sex, politics and religion at the office. These are being nonjudgmental, being noncritical, being nonreactive, valuing balance and seeking balance, and being selfless. Learning how to ask questions to make people reflective is another leadership characteristic I talk about.

You can learn to listen by following the listening checklist I outline for you. If you follow the checklist, you will model respectful, caring behaviors that you want people to have around you. Finally, help people talk about sex, politics and religion by finding the deeper meanings those topics have to people. If sexuality is about looking and feeling good, how does the workplace help or hinder each of us looking and feeling good? That alone can lead to healthier attitudes.