Davis Development

Tanya C Dusek

Workplace Culture Steward

Tanya Dusek is a seasoned human resources leader and Director of Human Resources at Davis Development. With extensive experience in HR, employee relations and talent development, she focuses on building supportive workplace cultures, developing people and helping organizations strengthen their teams.

“Sincerity is the most important part of positive treatment. The only thing worse than a coach or CEO who doesn’t care about his people is the one who pretends to care. People can spot a phony every time. They know he doesn’t care about them, and worse, his act insults their intelligence” says Jimmy Johnson.

Every day, each of us touches the lives of many others. It is important to recognize the impact we have on one another. To be the best we can be at home, at work or at play, we must treat others with the respect we deserve and expect from one another. We must also be ready, willing and able to take responsibility for our actions and remain accountable for our words and deeds.

It has been said time and again that a person’s integrity can truly be judged by their actions when no one is looking. Be honest with yourself: Are you accountable for your actions? Do you make excuses for your behavior? Success means doing the best we can in as many ways as possible. It means being just, honest and true, not only in a few things, but in all that we do.

As you consider what it means to respect everyone in the workplace, you may have a different perspective from a colleague. We all define respect differently. Our understanding is shaped by how we were raised, our belief systems and the way we view the world through our own “belief window.” These beliefs develop over a lifetime. No two people’s beliefs are exactly alike, much like fingerprints, although many may be similar. Those similarities often come from shared cultural backgrounds.

When we work alongside individuals from different cultural backgrounds, it can be easy to become judgmental or insensitive. Over the next few weeks, make an effort to examine how you interact with others. Reflect on your conversations and the different opinions and beliefs people bring to the workplace. Be open to understanding other points of view and consider their perspectives with greater sensitivity. Think about their needs and the reasons they may see something differently than you do.

Together, we can create workplaces free from the conflicts and misunderstandings that distract us from our day-to-day goals and achievements.

“A leader should possess human understanding and consideration for others. Men are not robots and should not be treated as such. I do not by any means suggest coddling. But men are intelligent, complicated beings who will respond favorably to human understanding and consideration. By these means, their leader will get maximum effort from each of them. He will also get loyalty.”

General Omar Bradley

Learning new behaviors creates growth within us. Remember that right in the middle of the word GROWTH is OW, and sometimes growth hurts. But growing is what we should strive for each day.

As we develop greater tolerance and consideration for others, we should also examine our intentions. Let’s create highly productive and respectful workplaces. Be a leader who helps build a culture and workplace we are proud to share. Your ability to lead with respect will grow as you grow.