At the age of 28, Torontonian Evelyn Ng is a rising star in the new spectator sport of poker.
Poker has hit the small screen in a big way, with a number of successful television shows in this year’s lineups. Ng’s gender, age and good looks are changing the face of a game that conjures up stereotypes of cigar-chomping, middle-aged men. While her looks are part of poker’s popular new TV image, it’s her ability to play the game that places her at the table in the first place.
In an interview with CTV News, Ng’s boyfriend and fellow poker professional Adam Schoenfeld described her as a person with “devastating” insight into human personality. She can size someone up almost immediately.
Ng credits the diversity of her hometown for her ability to read others.
“I really appreciate growing up in Toronto because it’s so multicultural. If I can understand someone’s culture and someone’s background that helps me get insight into that person and how they might play or how they think.”
The business applications for such insight present profitable opportunities. For product designers and marketers, it’s the ability to connect with customers. For managers it’s the ability to understand the needs, motivations and communication styles of the employees they supervise. For diversity advocates it’s the business case for an inclusive workplace.
And yes, diversity can indeed make money. A Scotiabank branch in Windsor, Ont., is proving the point. One day it all sort of clicked, manager Alan Defoe told the Windsor Star. He polled staff to find that his 50 employees are collectively fluent in 17 languages.
Signs went up offering to serve people in Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Lebanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Urdu, Tagalog and Vietnamese. Oh, and English, too. The word has gotten out and the community has responded in droves.
Embracing diversity will not only help organizations recruit talented individuals who can add different perspectives in a competitive domestic market, it can give Canada an edge in the global business environment. Multiculturalism isn’t just Ng’s poker advantage or a single bank branch’s success story, it’s Canada’s competitive advantage in an international marketplace. Few other countries can boast of such an ample supply of educated cultural and linguistic specialists.
HR provides value to an organization when it supplies a talented multicultural workforce and establishes a respectful environment that retains, promotes and encourages the participation of people of all cultural backgrounds.
And what about the HR department itself? Diversity numbers aren’t just a question of overall statistics in an organization. Every area of the company benefits from diversity, especially HR. Ethnic diversity in the HR department assists in connecting with the workforce. That’s a big advantage for human resources departments charged with improving organizational effectiveness.
The ideas and market connectivity that come from multiculturalism have dealt Canada a winning hand. It’s time to lay it on the table and collect the rewards.
Poker has hit the small screen in a big way, with a number of successful television shows in this year’s lineups. Ng’s gender, age and good looks are changing the face of a game that conjures up stereotypes of cigar-chomping, middle-aged men. While her looks are part of poker’s popular new TV image, it’s her ability to play the game that places her at the table in the first place.
In an interview with CTV News, Ng’s boyfriend and fellow poker professional Adam Schoenfeld described her as a person with “devastating” insight into human personality. She can size someone up almost immediately.
Ng credits the diversity of her hometown for her ability to read others.
“I really appreciate growing up in Toronto because it’s so multicultural. If I can understand someone’s culture and someone’s background that helps me get insight into that person and how they might play or how they think.”
The business applications for such insight present profitable opportunities. For product designers and marketers, it’s the ability to connect with customers. For managers it’s the ability to understand the needs, motivations and communication styles of the employees they supervise. For diversity advocates it’s the business case for an inclusive workplace.
And yes, diversity can indeed make money. A Scotiabank branch in Windsor, Ont., is proving the point. One day it all sort of clicked, manager Alan Defoe told the Windsor Star. He polled staff to find that his 50 employees are collectively fluent in 17 languages.
Signs went up offering to serve people in Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Lebanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Urdu, Tagalog and Vietnamese. Oh, and English, too. The word has gotten out and the community has responded in droves.
Embracing diversity will not only help organizations recruit talented individuals who can add different perspectives in a competitive domestic market, it can give Canada an edge in the global business environment. Multiculturalism isn’t just Ng’s poker advantage or a single bank branch’s success story, it’s Canada’s competitive advantage in an international marketplace. Few other countries can boast of such an ample supply of educated cultural and linguistic specialists.
HR provides value to an organization when it supplies a talented multicultural workforce and establishes a respectful environment that retains, promotes and encourages the participation of people of all cultural backgrounds.
And what about the HR department itself? Diversity numbers aren’t just a question of overall statistics in an organization. Every area of the company benefits from diversity, especially HR. Ethnic diversity in the HR department assists in connecting with the workforce. That’s a big advantage for human resources departments charged with improving organizational effectiveness.
The ideas and market connectivity that come from multiculturalism have dealt Canada a winning hand. It’s time to lay it on the table and collect the rewards.
