Volkan Özçelik

When your team is diverse, figuring out where everyone is coming from can be difficult. It’s not only diversity in culture. Today, a typical office environment can include members from four different generations. The amount of diversity is both an opportunity and also a challenge in itself.

As a leader, you have to encourage people around you to handle differences, respect one another, listen, and learn. But how? Here are a few suggestions.

Everyone has a list of things that they want to get better at. But the problem with those lists are, they won’t complete themselves. You have to find the focus and discipline to work on them. It all boils down to forming and establishing habits. The good news is: you can do it.

Don’t take the phrase “you must have a mentor” too literally. The reality is you need more than a single mentor; you need your personal board of advisors if you will. But how do you find all these people? Let’s see.

Tough conversations are challenging for a reason. When you are stressed out, it’s easy to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Do you hold back in meetings? Are you unsure how to jump in and make yourself heard? Do you often go unnoticed when everyone is excited about a topic? If yes, then I have a recommendation for you.

Being rejected by (pick your top company or college of your choice) can suck. Yet, neither rejection nor acceptance defines you: You define you.