Background story: LinkedIn often prompts me to contribute to articles about leadership development (I'm kind of proud that I'm officially in the "top 10% of quality contributors" on the topic of Leadership Development). Regardless of how people feel about LinkedIn or these articles, the topics covered, along with the comments I provide, always get me thinking about how we all operate at work - particularly the way we are training people in the area of leadership development. Why not use these prompts as a starting point for additional, more in-depth conversations? One topic that keeps coming up recently is diversity of thought. Let's address it.
The Power of Diversity of Thought at Work
One topic that keeps coming up is around diversity of thought at work. How can leaders encourage an environment that is inclusive of diverse ideas, perspectives, and styles?
If we're lucky, or if we work hard to see it this way, diversity is everywhere at work, and it makes us all better. In my opinion, diversity of perspective is inevitable, since no two people have exactly the same thoughts all the time. No two people have had exactly the same situations happen to them, and even if they went through the same experience, they probably reacted differently because their backgrounds, values, cultures, personalities, and past experiences likely differ. We shouldn't stifle that; we should acknowledge it and respect it and use it for good. The uniqueness of each of us makes every situation inherently diverse, and that's something we should embrace.
The uniqueness of each of us makes every situation inherently diverse, and that's something we should embrace.
But many workplaces don't see it this way. Many executives want yes-men to appease them and let them get their way. This toxic culture stems from the harmful ideology that people "at the top" are always right. People in power get greedy even with ideas. They want all the credit for everything that works (and none of the blame for anything that doesn't). It's exactly the wrong way to conduct ourselves. And it's certainly not what a good leader should do.
Unfortunately, employees don't always help their own cases either: When I hear phrases such as, "Well, she must be smarter than me - her title is higher than mine!" or "He makes the decision in the end anyway, so what I think doesn't matter." or "Agreeing with him will make me look like I'm as smart as he is," I can't explain the disappointment and frustration I feel. These thoughts and behaviors exacerbate the issue. People who feel this way - and, worse, act on these feelings - are running through the scenarios in their minds and filtering out any opportunities for success. They are removing the chance for diversity from their own experience. And they are preventing themselves from adding the unique value that only they can add.
Maybe the problem is that people are too afraid to think differently. Or maybe just maybe, people are simply not equipped with the right tools to know how to disagree - how to voice their opinions, how to connect their ideas to business strategies, how to inspire others to see their perspective.
And maybe leaders - or the people in charge - have not been taught how to encourage diversity of thought in a helpful and empowering way that still adds business value.
How to Foster More Diversity of Thought at Work
Leaders should be inclusive of diversity, encouraging diversity of thought and style. There are many ways to nurture an environment where diversity of thought is encouraged, and diversity of style is understood, appreciated, and part of the process. Every team is different; find what works for you.
Foster conversations where everyone's voice is appreciated. This means considering all styles, preferences, and needs. Let's look at the way we hold meetings as an example. Some people like to prepare before a meeting, so provide an agenda far enough beforehand for people to review if they choose. Some people like to think things through on their own, while others like to talk it out in the moment; both styles can be accommodated. Some people steamroll the conversation, while others are afraid to speak up; all opinions are valid and both types of people have a right to be in the meeting and contribute harmoniously.
So how do we facilitate meetings when people have such widely varying work styles?
When accommodating as many styles as possible, find a baseline and adapt as needed. Here are some helpful elements to consider when building your baseline for projects while accommodating various work styles:
Provide an agenda before each meeting.
Everyone should start on the same page. Sure, some people will give the agenda more thought than others, and everyone has different amounts of time and topics of interest and ways of coming up with ideas, but sharing the agenda is a harmless and simple way to ensure that for this particular meeting, we all know what will be covered. People who like to prepare will have a chance to think before the call starts, and people who like to think more extemporaneously can choose to do that on the call if they wish (and if the facilitator allows, which takes us to the next point...).
Choose one leader to facilitate each meeting, steering away from unhelpful spaces and encouraging the sharing of a variety of perspectives.
Make sure this meeting facilitator is trained to do this. Just because someone is quiet doesn't mean they are ready to speak. It also doesn't mean they want to be called on. But some people who are quiet might be second-guessing their own ideas or wallowing in the fear that their ideas aren't good enough. Others are simply thinking and processing information. And still others simply don't have something to add right now. There is an art to facilitating - knowing how to steer the conversation, in which direction, who to give the floor to, how to encourage a variety of voices without calling on people in a startling fashion. This can take time, so acknowledging your goals at the start of the call can help the people on the call know that you are trying to be fair.
Hold [intermittent] open brainstorms where ideas can be shared without judgment.
Follow the rules of true brainstorming, where no idea is a bad idea, all ideas are captured, no idea is filtered or ruled out or even discussed until the next stage of the game. Separate your divergent thinking from your convergent thinking so that a diverse brainstorm can generate lots of possibilities, the wilder the better, before anyone starts vetting them against strategy.
Vary synchronous calls with asynchronous, shared documents.
Some people can think quickly on their feet and have no problem coming up with new ideas on a call. But other people prefer to think things through or type their ideas out. If you use both or vary the use of synchronous calls or meetings with shared documents that can be added to asynchronously, all ideas can be captured in a variety of ways. Make sure everyone has access to the shared documents, and communicate how often they can be updated or at least how often they will be reviewed and discussed.
Leaders should be inclusive of diversity, encouraging diversity of thought and style.
Now let's zoom out a little bit and evaluate some common problems that block people from fully embracing diversity of thought along with some possible solutions.
Are new ideas the problem? If so, leaders can work on a few areas that will help them be more receptive to new ideas:
Empower your team members to come up with new ideas. Add structure through an ideation program, ask their thoughts on relevant projects, or give them an OKR that quantifies how many new ideas or projects they need to come up with per quarter. As an exercise, try reframing success from output to input, celebrating your team's ideas at the start of the journey separately from the final projects that get executed.
Celebrate new ideas. Encourage members to come up with new ideas, applaud them with they do, and then give them the tools and knowledge to be able to vet those ideas against strategy to give them a better chance of being successful and coming to fruition. Encourage the behavior you wish to see repeated.
Truly consider each new idea. Take a step back and think about the feasibility of that idea. Instead of asking, Why should this work? Try asking, Why wouldn't this work? Better yet, ask the team member who came up with the idea, How can we make this work? Put the execution of the idea on them so they can see that new ideas are important, and they need to be strategic and feasible in order to work well.
Understand your current culture, envision a culture where new ideas are celebrated, and consider ways to get from where you are now to where you want to be. The work culture is vital to establishing these approaches as norms, so review both company policies and unwritten rules, then see how you can help change the team culture for the better.
Of course, this shift (namely changing company or team culture) may require greater effort than can be achieved in one day, and that's okay. Getting started is the most important part.
Bonus tip: Hiring
As a bonus tip, if you are a hiring manager, try to avoid hiring for "like-mindedness." If you hire people who do things the same way or come from the same background, you're likely going to get similar input and similar results. This isn't to negate the uniqueness of each person; this is simply to say that hiring for sameness isn't going to generate exciting innovations or boost the diversity of your collective perspectives. Instead, when interviewing and hiring job candidates, look for people who can add valuable, unique perspectives, who problem-solve in creative ways, who respect and empower others to own their uniqueness as well. Find people who appreciate diversity of thought, who want to learn from others, who seek out various perspectives in order to have a holistic, well-rounded background for when they make their own decisions, and your culture will start to improve from the inside out.
In the meantime, consider this other possible (and very common) roadblock and solution.
Are you set in your ways and/or find it difficult to pivot or see other perspectives? Try these strategies:
Accept the other perspective as truth. Don't automatically shut down an opinion just because it's different than yours. Instead of trying to "break" every new idea (if you are a skeptic, this is your favorite thing to do), try to accept it. Try employing the improv role of "yes, and" to accept the perspective as truth and consider how to build on it.
Don't get cocky with your perspective. Recognize that life doesn't always have one correct answer, rendering everything else incorrect. Things can simply be different sometimes. You can still be confident in your opinions while appreciating other perspectives. Multiple opinions can be valid. Multiple ideas can work. Multiple experiences can all be true. One being right doesn't mean another is wrong. Consider this.
Don't judge. In fact, take yourself out of the equation. Maybe the fact that your opinion differs from someone else's isn't important. Maybe the point is that we should simply be able to hear all opinions first, before judging or vetting them or filtering them out. Don't build a culture where judgment causes people to stifle their voices. Nurture a culture where all voices are appreciated.
Empathize with the other person. Understand their perspective. It must have been difficult for them to voice a different opinion. Think about where their idea came from. Consider their motivations, their goals, their experiences. Why is this their perspective and not yours? Neither one is wrong. Listen to understand - not to reply. Keep your ears open and your mouth closed for a little while, and see what you learn about the other person.
Get curious. Ask questions. You don't have to know all the answers. If someone has a different opinion or perspective or idea than you, there is something exciting there that you can learn. Get excited about learning something new from this person. We can all learn from each other. Find out the background of the idea and discuss its future. Give it legs. Sit with it. Maybe it'll grow on you. Either way, give it your attention and your curiosity.
Be a role model. Model behaviors like prompting your shy team member to share her awesome ideas or asking questions to understand someone's perspective even when you don't agree with it. Show to others that it is possible to respect the fact that there is more than one way to think about something, and the positive friction that results can be constructive.
Be a mentor. If there is someone who is constantly sharing new ideas and getting shut down by others, you could work with them separately and help them figure out ways to get their ideas greenlit more often. Everyone can use an ally.
Be constructive. Accept your differences, and try to problem-solve, using your unique perspectives for good. How can you work together toward a common goal even if your perspectives are so different? How can you use both perspectives to make the end product even better than one person's attempt alone?
And if there is someone out there you keep running into and butting heads with, talk to them privately. Get to know them. Understand their style. You can apply the professional filter if you'd like, discussing the shared goal you have and openly talking about how, sure, your perspectives are different, but that difference shouldn't be hindering progress - instead, it should be empowering you both, elevating the project to new heights, and bringing new levels of success that no one person could have achieved alone. Figure out ways to work together and make your diversity of thought work for you rather than against you.
Then, as I always recommend, reflect back on what worked, what didn't work, and what you'll do differently next time. You'll start to notice the wins racking up - projects will produce better outcomes, you'll build a deeper trust with your team members and colleagues, and you'll be more open to diversity of thought in the future with each subsequent successful experience you have with it. Build on those successes and keep exploring the undeniable power of diversity of thought.
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