Hiring a culturally diverse team, two skill sets in one.

As the first post of the year 2010, I'm inclined to write about something that has come up in conversation several times recently between myself and my colleagues; ethnically diverse staff and the unspoken strengths they bring to business. What most people who do not have a diverse background may not understand, is that people who have a different background culturally or ethnically have an entire other audience they can tap into when it comes to business deals. People who are African American, Italian, Greek, Polish, etc. are at a strong advantage when it comes to reaching and developing business with audiences of people who find that they can relate to the person due to their similar backgrounds. For example, African Americans can speak two types of English. In business, it's the professional, the college educated language they use around co-workers and colleagues. However, if they are entering a potential business situation with a group of people who, at the most have only a partial high school education, they can alter the way they speak English in order to make the audience feel more comfortable. It's still English, only altered with a heavy use of slang which is common for the neighborhood or culture. From what I have learned in my life, people will decide if they like you in merely minutes - if not seconds. For a professional who can reach not only one main market, but can also tap an entirely new market for business, it's a skill that not many understand. An audience of Greek individuals will more likely give their business to someone of Greek decent. It may sound odd, but it's true plain and simple for most culturally diverse groups. As a savvy business professional, you must understand that there are places that someone like that can and will go that others may not. There is an entire market that diverse business people can reach that others cannot. Use this information wisely to advance your business goals.