3 ways human design helps diverse leaders thrive
As we come to the end of Black History Month, I look at how human design can help people from diverse backgrounds thrive in their lives, careers and businesses.
We have these arbitrary ways that we determine what the value of somebody's work is. Somebody who's doing the job in the first world and the third world. If you're working at a steel plant in Germany and if you're working at a steel plant in Thailand and you're both doing the same job, I guarantee you that the German worker is making at least 4 times as much. We don't have a sense of justice in that sense. Because the steel worker in Germany is not worth more than the steel worker in Thailand. They're just not.
- Ra Uru Hu, Creator of the Human Design System
We don't often see the side of human design that's shown in this quote – the side that shows how powerful it can be as a tool for liberation and resistance.
To my absolute delight, I've found that more and more diverse people are adopting this unique system.
Diverse people all over the world are seeing how human design can help them thrive in a world that seems determined to keep them from success. And it makes me so freaking happy to see it.
In this article, I'll unpack how human design can empower people from diverse backgrounds to succeed and thrive.
For the sake of this article, I'll mostly talk about black and brown folks but this can be applied to all dimensions of diversity including sexual orientation, gender identity, neurodiversity and disability.
Let's dive in.
Human design supports you being your whole and complete self, unapologetically
Recently, I was talking to a white friend and business colleague about codeswitching.
During that conversation, I realised that as a black, Caribbean woman in a predominantly white and Global North industry, my codeswitching turns on automatically when the camera does. And this was affecting my ability to show up authentically online.
In case you're not familiar, codeswitching refers to "the way (often marginalised) people adjust and adapt their behaviour, appearance and language to avoid highlighting negative stereotypes in school and work environments."
Codeswitching is often an automatic process - meaning it's not something that black and brown folks think about doing. It's similar to the way autistic and ADHD folks automatically begin masking in public. And it's mentally and emotionally exhausting to fragment our personalities in this way.
The core message of human design is that you do not need to fix who you are because there is nothing to fix. This knowledge can give you the confidence to show up as your whole and complete self regardless of the situation or circumstance.
In this way, human design can be an incredibly supportive tool to help black and brown folks heal from the burnout that comes with codeswitching.
It can help you feel more confident to show up as yourself in professional contexts both on and offline, and free up the mental and emotional space for things that move the needle at work and in your business.
Human Design helps you get paid what you're worth
Black and brown professionals and business owners have been repeatedly shown to earn less than their white counterparts.
Many systemic barriers contribute to this earnings gap, and I'll admit that human design does not and cannot address all of these barriers.
That said, one of the factors that contribute to chronically lower earnings among black and brown professionals is that we are less likely to charge our worth.
People from marginalised communities (especially black and brown women) are less likely to charge high prices and ask for raises or promotions. We're also more likely to do work for free.
This might be because we believe that others won't pay high prices for our services. It might be because we're perceived as being less competent and therefore feel unable to charge the prices that we deserve to be paid. Or it might be for other reasons entirely.
Human design can help shatter these limiting beliefs.
When I started living as a Projector and recognising how my guidance and wisdom changed the lives of the people around me, I started seeing my value.
Human design gave me permission to speak up and ask to be paid for things that I had previously given away for free - a process that would routinely leave me feeling drained, bitter and unappreciated. It helped me see my worth in a new way.
By aligning with your human design, you can feel more empowered to confidently ask for the money and compensation you deserve for your work even when it feels uncomfortable.
Human design makes diversity the norm
One of the things I love the most about human design is that it's called "the science of differentiation".
Human design recognises from the jump that we are all different and that 100% intentional. It emphasises that it is our differences that allow us to live in community and thrive together.
This is not about being colour-blind. Human design does not claim to "not see" differences or diversity, it does not pretend that we all have the same perspectives or experiences.
On the contrary, human design is rooted in the knowledge that we are different and it is this diversity that makes us beautiful - that our communities, workplaces and societies need diversity to function.
It recognises that we each have different perspectives, positions and privileges and it does not try to erase these differences.
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Rather, human design helps us bring together our individual strengths and unique viewpoints to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
In this way instead of erasing diversity, human design normalises it. It supports what the science says: that diversity creates success, not takes away from it.
Human design says: yes, we're different and that's exactly the point.
How has human design helped you thrive?
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