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The Loudest Duck: Moving Beyond Diversity while Embracing Differences to Achieve Success at Work
Diversity in the workplace is a wonderful thing―but it also challenges many of today's business leaders. For managers and team-members alike, it can be difficult to navigate in a truly diverse workplace made up of people of different cultures, races, creeds, body types, hobbies, genders, religions, styles, and sexual orientations. But understanding our cultural and social differences is a major key to a high-performing, merit-based work environment. The Loudest Duck is a business guide that explores workplace diversity and presents new ideas for getting the most business and organizational benefit from it. In the Chinese children's parable, the loudest duck is the one that gets shot. In America, we like to say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Comparing the two, it's easy to see that our different cultures teach us different sets of values, and those values often translate into different ways of doing business that may subtly advantage one culture at work and disadvantage another. In the global marketplace, it's more important than ever that we understand and are conscious of our differences to work together effectively. It is not enough to create Noah's Ark, bringing in two of each kind. We all bring our unconscious beliefs and personal narratives about who we are and who others are with us to work and, with diversity in place, we can no longer ignore them. Truly effective leaders can't pretend that we're all the same or that our preferences and preconceptions don't exist. The Loudest Duck offers a way to move beyond traditional diversity efforts that ignore our differences and toward modern diversity practices that embrace those differences―and profit from them. Diverse organizations require more sophisticated leadership, conscious awareness of diversity issues, new behavioral patterns, and effective tools for reaping the benefits of true diversity. This book will help you develop the skills you need and the tools you can use to go beyond what Grandma taught you to make diversity work in your business. More than just an enlightening tale about diversity, The Loudest Duck is a powerful resource for any manager, business owner, team leader, or employee who wants to meet the challenges of the modern heterogeneous workplace. It's not simply about accepting others―it's about ensuring a level playing field for everyone and building an organization that gets the best from all its people.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
191 people are currently reading
1035 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
August 3, 2018
Simple analogies like Grandmas and Arks make concepts easy to understand. As an Asian Female in Corporate America, I was, too, tempted at one time to learn golf to "thrive" but thankfully did not waste my efforts on something I know I would not enjoy.
April 2, 2024
The author of this book came to talk to students in the College of Nursing where I work. There is heavy emphasis in the nursing profession to promote diversity--but the approach of this author (a world-class expert in diversity) is breathtaking. She uses an analogy of Noah's Ark to make her point that having 2 of everything in the boat does not equal diversity. In her book, she describes issues that we all face in the work place, in our communities, even families as we bring all that we've dragged from our lives (which she calls 'Grandma') into our interactions with others--and how much of 'Grandma' is in our unconscious. Therefore, we are unaware of what we act out of--just moving through what is familiar to us. She uses terms to differentiate us from one another: such as 'like and unlike,' or 'dominant and non-dominant' (which she compares to an elephant and a mouse being in a room together: the dominant need know nothing about the non-dominant, but the non-dominant needs to know everything about the dominant). And she shows how much there is to gain from recognizing the value that those 'unlike' ourselves bring to human interaction and productivity, while the subtle but very real disenfranchisement of those who don't speak up (like the Loudest Duck) can be a true loss. In the West, and particularly the U.S., we're acculturated to understand that 'the squeaky wheel gets the grease--a sharp contrast to other cultures whose approach to interaction is 'the loudest duck gets shot.' This book is a real eye-opener to the contrasts in behaviors and world views of all of our differences: place of origin, gender, race, class. I highly recommend it. It is very thought-provoking and informative. The concepts in this book elucidate the benefit of honoring and appreciating differences and valuing the power of collaboration and diversity of cultures and viewpoints.
August 21, 2017
I really support the ideas of the book and I was glad to read it. Book was more of an inspiration for thoughts and reinforcement of ideas and goals I already had and knew. I could say it's somewhat similar to a good inspirational conference talk: you knew most of the things, but you want to support or fight the ideas with more passion after hearing it.
That said, I name it "decent" and put 3 stars because the books has its flaws. It's short, and not in a good condensed way. In fact, despite being a few hours read it's repetitive and at times contradictory, and, most importantly, misses a few key topics. I found it confusing that book tries to not be about sexism, and yet gives most examples about women as a non-dominant group. I found it contradictory when it generalised how a manager should approach women and men based on the average gender trends.
I think the book really missed a few very relevant and important topics. All of the biased approaches can also happen because you like or dislike some people not because of misuse of diversity, but from other causes. When is it tolerable and when it isn't? Why Ms Liswood doesn't encourage you to get to know your colleagues instead of making gender-corrected assumptions? What about deliberately choosing to work with a particular set of values in people you hire? You will have a dominant group of people with same values. How does that play with diversity?
Some of these things often confuse me and it's these questions on the edge of diversity vs grown culture that are tough, not that you shouldn't judge a person by the gender or status or race. That's not there yet in the society, sure, but it's an easy answer when you think about it.
The book also heavily relies on the fixing the Noah's ark approach to diversity and I don't think it's as relevant in the Eastern Europe where I'm living as in the US. Society here is sexist and filled with Grandmas, and most companies don't give a damn about diversity. But those that do at least try to play it right. Without having strict laws on it and suing culture few places hire "poster children" and I hope it means we can skip Noah's ark stage and jump from uncontrolled setup into properly equal playing fields.
Eventually.
That said, I name it "decent" and put 3 stars because the books has its flaws. It's short, and not in a good condensed way. In fact, despite being a few hours read it's repetitive and at times contradictory, and, most importantly, misses a few key topics. I found it confusing that book tries to not be about sexism, and yet gives most examples about women as a non-dominant group. I found it contradictory when it generalised how a manager should approach women and men based on the average gender trends.
I think the book really missed a few very relevant and important topics. All of the biased approaches can also happen because you like or dislike some people not because of misuse of diversity, but from other causes. When is it tolerable and when it isn't? Why Ms Liswood doesn't encourage you to get to know your colleagues instead of making gender-corrected assumptions? What about deliberately choosing to work with a particular set of values in people you hire? You will have a dominant group of people with same values. How does that play with diversity?
Some of these things often confuse me and it's these questions on the edge of diversity vs grown culture that are tough, not that you shouldn't judge a person by the gender or status or race. That's not there yet in the society, sure, but it's an easy answer when you think about it.
The book also heavily relies on the fixing the Noah's ark approach to diversity and I don't think it's as relevant in the Eastern Europe where I'm living as in the US. Society here is sexist and filled with Grandmas, and most companies don't give a damn about diversity. But those that do at least try to play it right. Without having strict laws on it and suing culture few places hire "poster children" and I hope it means we can skip Noah's ark stage and jump from uncontrolled setup into properly equal playing fields.
Eventually.
July 27, 2022
This is a fantastic start to thinking about diversity in the workforce. My only complaints are:
that Liswood framed most of her examples on gender, rather than an array of identities,
that she almost always refers to managers with male pronouns--even though it's statistically accurate, I don't think diversity initiatives start by feeding into a rigid patriarchal system,
and that she only references "the loudest duck" once.
that Liswood framed most of her examples on gender, rather than an array of identities,
that she almost always refers to managers with male pronouns--even though it's statistically accurate, I don't think diversity initiatives start by feeding into a rigid patriarchal system,
and that she only references "the loudest duck" once.
January 12, 2025
A different take on what can help corporations succeed in diversity. Being mindful of others backgrounds, communication styles, and how to engage managers (frequency, venue), can be helpful to this effort. The book goes into practical instructions and numerous examples to where I found myself relating at every step and having a few ah, ha moments. I’d recommend this book to any of my colleagues and especially management.
June 19, 2019
Great ideas, communicated simply and interestingly.
A section I particularly love is 'the silent may have something to say'. I think that on its own is something worth thinking on.
A section I particularly love is 'the silent may have something to say'. I think that on its own is something worth thinking on.
August 17, 2019
I really appreciated the great writing, very clear and concise. The book doesn’t try to present The Solution to All Problems; it knows what it is & does it well. I wasn’t familiar with Ms. Liswood, but she sounds like a very interesting lady based on her intro.
Nice to see a lot of these ideas in print. Some sections felt more informative than others. Most important, to me, was the call for ‘sophisticated leadership, conscious awareness, thought, behavior, and tools to reap the benefits of what true diversity can provide.’ Or she also says, to avoid ‘unconscious handling of diversity.’ Hard to beat those sentiments!
In other sections, the book retreads what seems to be a more commonplace discussion here in 2018. I have a feeling this book was more stirring or ground-breaking in 2010. It’s ideas are, of course, still relevant now. (I do have a faint memory of headlines from 2010 that this book *started* a lot of those convo’s…maybe?!).
One critique that stood out is that while Ms. Liswood does include goodly long list of ‘nondominant’ differences, much of her analysis seems focus on gender. She certainly includes issues of race, class, ability, and body type (among others); however, these are comparatively fleeting, and rarely in conjunction with each other or with gender.
More broadly, many examples are rather normative (like a lot of diversity training, in my exp.) — in other words, IMO, describing the most common ‘litmus test failures’ over and over again. This makes sense in some ways — those are presumably the most common issues for the widest audience! And furthermore, it establishes an essential common knowledge set.
But it also inevitably runs into the issue that diversity is as endlessly complex as the human experience. The danger being, of course, in extrapolating a social tendency or likelihood to the particulars of an indv. or workplace. Tendencies or likelihoods are can both be simultaneously valid & not always definitive. So it makes me wish for less of a reductive enumeration (as helpful as those are as examples / queries) and for more broad values, philosophies, and applicable practices. In other words, rather than a definitive sociological handbook of ‘Issue A means B, C, and D biases’; instead a toolset that equips workers to be navigate the innumerable complexities of a diverse workplace. Less a critique, and more a ‘wish for.’ If Ms. Liswood describes her book as Diversity 2.0, I guess I’m wishing for Diversity 3.0.
Nice to see a lot of these ideas in print. Some sections felt more informative than others. Most important, to me, was the call for ‘sophisticated leadership, conscious awareness, thought, behavior, and tools to reap the benefits of what true diversity can provide.’ Or she also says, to avoid ‘unconscious handling of diversity.’ Hard to beat those sentiments!
In other sections, the book retreads what seems to be a more commonplace discussion here in 2018. I have a feeling this book was more stirring or ground-breaking in 2010. It’s ideas are, of course, still relevant now. (I do have a faint memory of headlines from 2010 that this book *started* a lot of those convo’s…maybe?!).
One critique that stood out is that while Ms. Liswood does include goodly long list of ‘nondominant’ differences, much of her analysis seems focus on gender. She certainly includes issues of race, class, ability, and body type (among others); however, these are comparatively fleeting, and rarely in conjunction with each other or with gender.
More broadly, many examples are rather normative (like a lot of diversity training, in my exp.) — in other words, IMO, describing the most common ‘litmus test failures’ over and over again. This makes sense in some ways — those are presumably the most common issues for the widest audience! And furthermore, it establishes an essential common knowledge set.
But it also inevitably runs into the issue that diversity is as endlessly complex as the human experience. The danger being, of course, in extrapolating a social tendency or likelihood to the particulars of an indv. or workplace. Tendencies or likelihoods are can both be simultaneously valid & not always definitive. So it makes me wish for less of a reductive enumeration (as helpful as those are as examples / queries) and for more broad values, philosophies, and applicable practices. In other words, rather than a definitive sociological handbook of ‘Issue A means B, C, and D biases’; instead a toolset that equips workers to be navigate the innumerable complexities of a diverse workplace. Less a critique, and more a ‘wish for.’ If Ms. Liswood describes her book as Diversity 2.0, I guess I’m wishing for Diversity 3.0.
September 1, 2020
I am on the diversity committee at my company and we are currently reviewing several books to choose one for the whole company to read together and have discussion groups on. I thought this might be a decent choice for a second book, but not the first one. Some quick thoughts:
1. Most importantly, I think this is written with corporate leaders in mind as the audience. She uses the metaphor of elephants (members of the dominant group, and leaders in particular) and mice (everyone else). This book seems to be addressed to the elephants.
2. She focuses very specifically on differences in communication style, which is really a men vs. women cultural thing. Sometimes I felt like I was reading Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.
3. There is really nothing in the book that specifically addresses racism or discrimination against Black people (or any POC). Which leads to my next thought...
4. She starts from the assumption that increasing diversity in the workplace is the right thing to do, which is great. But she discusses the reasons that people are often skeptical of and angry about these efforts without addressing why they are wrong. Some people who read this book are not already "choir members" so to speak, and are going to need some convincing.
5. The book is short, but it could have been even shorter. It is very repetitive in places, and feels like a TED talk stretched into a book.
1. Most importantly, I think this is written with corporate leaders in mind as the audience. She uses the metaphor of elephants (members of the dominant group, and leaders in particular) and mice (everyone else). This book seems to be addressed to the elephants.
2. She focuses very specifically on differences in communication style, which is really a men vs. women cultural thing. Sometimes I felt like I was reading Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.
3. There is really nothing in the book that specifically addresses racism or discrimination against Black people (or any POC). Which leads to my next thought...
4. She starts from the assumption that increasing diversity in the workplace is the right thing to do, which is great. But she discusses the reasons that people are often skeptical of and angry about these efforts without addressing why they are wrong. Some people who read this book are not already "choir members" so to speak, and are going to need some convincing.
5. The book is short, but it could have been even shorter. It is very repetitive in places, and feels like a TED talk stretched into a book.
November 16, 2011
I know what you must be thinking--why is this book in Ben's feed? After all, his book choices are clearly nothing but the epitome of refined taste (that's not all 7 Harry Potters and the Hunger Games trilogy in there). The answer is this is I had to sit through a dull all day training for appointees today and this book was one of the two books we received (the other one is about difficult conversations and was presented by a consulting firm that also represents offshore drillers). It turns out the author of this book was present and so to keep from falling asleep, I decided to read the book during her presentation. Which I did--all 149 pages of it in font larger than what an octogenarian would need to constantly read. I'm not going to review the books content, but I do want to say that it was a weird sensation to both read the book and get essentially the audio version at the same time. Also, in case you are wondering, the loudest duck refers to the old proverb from I think China that the loudest duck gets shot. It's sort of like the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but you know, about much tastier fowl.
March 28, 2022
A good read for those looking to maximize return on investment from diversity programs. Easy read with readily understandable analogies and rudimentary examples to help Managers and employees increase awareness and sensitivity to others.
January 31, 2020
This is a book I got as a member of the employee representative body at work from people involved with the equality, diversity & inclusion programme. I was interested in it right away and it didn't disappoint.
In fact I think that this book should be read by everyone when they become a manager. Towards that end I will definitely be passing it around among colleagues.
The basic premise is that simply ensuring you have people from different background or groups won't actually do much if nothing else is done. Equality within the diversity won't just happen on its own. It needs to be worked towards, but if done correctly the rewards will be many and varied.
I would definitely recommend this to everyone, but most importantly to those who don't think they need it.
In fact I think that this book should be read by everyone when they become a manager. Towards that end I will definitely be passing it around among colleagues.
The basic premise is that simply ensuring you have people from different background or groups won't actually do much if nothing else is done. Equality within the diversity won't just happen on its own. It needs to be worked towards, but if done correctly the rewards will be many and varied.
I would definitely recommend this to everyone, but most importantly to those who don't think they need it.
May 12, 2018
This book is a good introduction to how diversity works, and why to create a truly diverse environment it does not suffice to get different and diverse people together. There is a whole bunch of unconscious factors playing against this that we have to become aware of and start managing to really start enjoying the benefits of diversity.
Why don't I give it a higher rating? Because I was left hungry for more details of how to go about managing this. There were some examples, but I felt they were not enough.
Why don't I give it a higher rating? Because I was left hungry for more details of how to go about managing this. There were some examples, but I felt they were not enough.
January 5, 2022
I would have rated it higher if it were one of the first books on diversity I read, so my rating is in comparison to other books. This one does an excellent job of providing simple, easy to remember, and relatable analogs to concepts like bias. I love, and will not forget the concept of Grandmas and will from here on out be mindful of my Grandma’s lessons and curious of the lessons of other people’s Grandmas. We are reading this as a work group and I’m looking forward to seeing how this book will influence our team’s cultural norms.
June 2, 2022
Great book for helping understanding office diversity initiatives, why they matter, and specifically how to be a better manager for fostering diversity. It also has a great explanation of what unconscious bias is. The book deals a lot with gender dynamics, which is very helpful to me as a female, but definitely heavy on this area of diversity as it is her specialty. Easy quick read and would recommend!
June 21, 2022
Worthwhile read. She makes a plea to look beyond the diversity numbers. Reaching a quota doesn’t make any sense if we are still (unconsciously) reinforcing the behaviors, ideas, suggestions etc. From the dominant group. Let’s start with admitting that we have unconscious biases who influences how we act and respond to others (specifically to the non-dominant group). I’ve learned a few things to be more mindful and reduce my biases to provide a level playing field to all of my team members.
February 13, 2023
This is a decent book for a centrist approach to diversity. By now, if you’re totally unfamiliar with the concept, this book would be a primer. The notion of a ‘Grandma’ is very ageist considering the subject matter. If I’m being generous, the book really comes down to owning up to the fact that everyone has biases and it’s going to take extra effort to bracket them and develop a healthy workplace based on merit.
September 13, 2025
Laura Liswood is an amazing speaker and teacher. She spoke to a leadership group I was in, and her lessons were profound for most of the people in the room. As indicated in other reviews, her book speaks plainly and creates helpful imagery to help you understand the perspective of others. She is also very knowledgeable about various diverse groups. As a diversity expert, you expect that, but don't always get it. She does.
December 22, 2017
This is an excellent book about inclusion and diversity. Tips are down to earth and examples are real. The tone of the book is easy to read and not preachy. I have given this book to several people. If I had a team of managers, I would give it to them and have a book club to discuss chapters as way to really drill down to the issues and how to make lasting change.
December 18, 2018
Read for Work
Glad I did!!! Written simply and easy to understand and yet there were many ‘cause for pause ‘ moments that were thought provoking. Not as many answers and recommendations which understandably coincides with real life. ‘Grandma’ is real. Real change occurs within with major effort. I would recommend.
Glad I did!!! Written simply and easy to understand and yet there were many ‘cause for pause ‘ moments that were thought provoking. Not as many answers and recommendations which understandably coincides with real life. ‘Grandma’ is real. Real change occurs within with major effort. I would recommend.
November 28, 2019
But grandma! ...
The book does a good job displaying the challenges of diversifying the workplace society. It explains how we are engrained to certain behaviors and their pitfalls. Like a lot of leadership books it lacks in the ‘strategy for improvement’ department. Quick read with concise message overall.
The book does a good job displaying the challenges of diversifying the workplace society. It explains how we are engrained to certain behaviors and their pitfalls. Like a lot of leadership books it lacks in the ‘strategy for improvement’ department. Quick read with concise message overall.
November 20, 2020
A great little book about moving beyond diversity as a thing to real subsinitive difference that benefits to all. The book is focused mainly on corporate cultures but the principals discussed apply to any organization. The book has me analyzing my own thinking about what exactly real diversity is and means.
November 25, 2020
I took a lot away from this book - lessons that are applicable to the work place and other aspects of life in general. I had several “aha” moments and I appreciated the examples and insight provided. Great read for anyone who is interested in unconscious biases, cultural differences and diversity challenges.
December 8, 2021
What should have been a 20-page, insightful essay on global diversity is masquerading here as a comprehensive business book harnessing workplace diversity for success. Liswood is sharp, no doubt, with an eye-popping resume, but this rambling, repetitive book feels more like required word count rather than fresh perspectives followed by concrete action steps.
October 4, 2022
Tone deaf at best. Offensive at times. The author seems to have formed her opinions about diversity without researching work by marginalized subject matter experts. Excessive time spent providing similar basic examples of the concepts. 10/10 do not recommend. Don’t waste your time on this book when you can read real diversity works by legitimate authors.
June 8, 2018
Very insightful book that gave many great examples. Worth ready to find out more about embracing diversity. Highly recommend for everyone especially hr professionals in search of materials to improve your inclusion and diversity efforts.
September 24, 2018
Probably one of the best reads on diversity and simple steps to make everyone feel more included. This book is a great read no matter what your background is and offers perspective into how we can make effective changes.
February 11, 2019
The term “Diversity” is thrown around in so many different ways in Business today. Laura Liswood gives excellent examples ( Along with a common thread of Noah’s Ark) of how we should embrace diversity among the sexes, races, and other various backgrounds.
August 17, 2020
Likes: Simple concept that sticks of the elephant (dominant character) and the mouse, and Noah’s Ark of how not all two species are the same.
Dislikes: Overly basic. Nothing too inspiring.
Recommend For: Anyone looking to expand their knowledge on diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Dislikes: Overly basic. Nothing too inspiring.
Recommend For: Anyone looking to expand their knowledge on diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
August 25, 2021
The Loudest Duck - one of the interesting books I have read which explains the importance of cognitive diversity beautifully through real world examples. I found this informative and added to my "revisit" book list.
August 28, 2023
This book gives a lot of transparency into situations that could be hidden by the intricacies of the corporate world, which is insightful. However, I wish the author had provided more tools to practice inclusion in the real world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews