Politics, Religion and BNI
On October 17 New Zealand goes to the polls to decide who will govern the country for the next three years and to give the government direction through referenda on some important issues.
This means people are more engaged with politics than usual and their political views may become apparent in the BNI meeting.
Is this a good thing?
Relationships, Inclusivity and Diversity
People hold very strong opinions and often opposing views about politics and religion. Bringing those views into BNI, especially the meeting, means you can inevitably and inadvertently hurt relationships with people who hold opposing views. BNI is an inclusive organisation, we welcome all people of NZ with legally held views and our chapters should also be representative of NZ’s demographic makeup. Bringing politics and religion into the chapter can not only make members feel excluded but also it can stop chapters from being diverse.
Summary
BNI believes that members are entitled to have legally held religious and political views. Indeed, diverse and inclusive chapters are more successful. However, religious and political views should be kept out of BNI as they can damage business relationships where there are opposing views and also stop chapters from being diverse and inclusive.
On screen is a recent statement put out by our Founder and CEO about BNI and diversity.
The relevant podcast this week is Podcast Episode 638: Politics, Religion and BNI:https://www.schoox.com/1443958/podcast-episode-638%3A-politics-religion-and-bni-%28classic-podcast%29/about
