One of the best posts ever about workplace inclusion for all — including those in the faith community.
This is a great quote:
“We’ve made a lot of progress as a society in welcoming people to be their full and authentic selves at work (people publicly share their pronouns, openly discuss mental health, etc.). However, religion has often been left out of the conversation. Diverse teams result in better outcomes, which is why I’m not afraid to be true to myself and openly live my faith.”
Thanks Davis Smith
Faith at work: Yesterday, I joined a panel at the Concordia Summit in New York on the topic of faith and media alongside brilliant and prominent women and men of different faiths. We’ve made a lot of progress as a society in welcoming people to be their full and authentic selves at work (people publicly share their pronouns, openly discuss mental health, etc.). However, religion has often been left out of the conversation.
Diverse teams result in better outcomes, which is why I’m not afraid to be true to myself and openly live my faith. When Guy Raz interviewed me on How I Built This with Guy Raz, we openly discussed my faith and how my two-year church mission in Bolivia shaped me as an entrepreneur. In an REI podcast, I shared a spiritual experience that led to the creation of Cotopaxi. In a recent Forbes article, I mentioned my faith. When asked by someone recently how I separate my religion from my company, my answer was that “I don’t.”
My team (few of whom share my faith) will tell you that religion is rarely a topic of discussion, but they’ll also tell you that I live my faith. My faith’s teachings of loving your neighbor, lifting the poor and needy, and mourning with those that mourn, have defined the Cotopaxi brand, our mission of fighting poverty, and my leadership.
82% of the global population identifies as religious, but we’re often afraid to mention it to others out of fear. Let’s normalize religion as an important form of diversity. If you’re a Jew, a Muslim, a Christian, or a Buddhist, don’t be afraid to mention it, and let’s do better as a society at embracing people as they are, without judgement, including their religions. I’m a proud member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Stereotypes exist for all religions, but rarely are they true, and the media has never accurately reflected the beautiful experiences I’ve felt, seen, and had as a member of my church.
Other panelists included: David W. Miller, PhD, Professor & Director of the Princeton Faith & Work Initiative at Princeton University, Simran Jeet Singh, Executive Director, Religion & Society Program at The Aspen Institute, Mara Schiavocampo, Emmy Award Winning Journalist, Ana Mims, Founder & CEO of @Ana Mims, LLC, Alissa Wilkinson, Senior Culture Reporter at Vox Media, Brooke Roner Zaugg, Vice President of The Faith & Media Initiative, Linus Idahosa, Chief Executive Officer at Del-York International, Kourosh Ziabari, Journalist and Correspondent at Asia Times, and Dritan Nesho, Global CEO of HarrisX.
Author: Davis Smith | Founder & Chairman at Cotopaxi (B Corp) | Mission President – Brazil Recife North Mission