Leaders frequently ask me why they should pay attention to diversity at all in their organization. The answer is simply so they can bring people together to get more done. While this might sound obvious on the surface, it’s a principle that’s frequently overlooked by leaders who lack the self-awareness necessary to realize that their organization would benefit from people getting along well.
The whole point of making sure everyone is included in idea development, decision making, and workplace operations is so that your entire organization can benefit from the varied talents and abilities your employees bring to the table. It’s counterproductive when leaders lack self-awareness and pretend diversity doesn’t exist when they could be using it to succeed at higher levels. Here are some of the benefits of diversity:
- Reduced conflict.
- Improved morale.
- Stronger teams.
- Less mistrust.
- Greater collaboration.
- More buy-in from employees.
- Increased employee motivation.
These are outcomes that leaders say they aspire to in their organizations but somehow, when they are associated with diversity, they get nervous. There’s really no reason to be apprehensive, it’s actually an opportunity to invite everyone to the table and prosper from their input. You and your organization will benefit in many ways. How will you increase your self-awareness and welcome diversity into your organization?
Cheers,
Guy