September 1, 2004
Leading a Diverse Team |
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Diversity
is an issue that is in the forefront of almost every organization
with which we work. It is frequently listed as one of a corporation's
core values and there is often a lot of effort around it. Although
the right words about diversity are professed in these companies,
most still have quite a bit of opportunity to actually become more
diverse; especially in the senior teams.
Recently
I came upon a leadership team that caught my eye on the issue of
diversity. Many of you have no doubt come across similar teams in
similar circumstances, but had other things on your mind than this
issue of leadership. For you see, I came across this team on a cruise
ship.
I
had a chance to meet the captain and then to learn more about his
direct reporting officers at a formal introduction gathering. I
do not remember all the specifics, but you will get the idea. The
captain was Norwegian. His team consisted of men and women from
India, Jamaica, Canada, England, Ireland, Italy, America and a couple
of other places that I don't recall.
The
staffing from around the world did not stop at the senior level.
There were people from over 50 countries making up the crew of 800.
Pick a country and it was likely represented. Besides the countries
listed above, I met and spoke with people from the Philippines,
Indonesia, Slovenia, Romania, and a host of other places. The diversity
of people from around the world greatly added to the flavor and
enjoyment of the voyage.
The
intent here is not to debate whether or not this crew is a role
model of a truly diverse organization. Rather, I would like for
you to put yourself in the captain's position for a moment. What
do you think it must be like to lead a team where virtually all
of your direct reports are from a different part of the world, with
different backgrounds, different cultural norms, differing values,
different languages, and different views of the world? Do you think
dealing with all of those differences might add a bit of complexity
to the challenge of leading?
We
have all heard how common it is for managers to seek out others
in their own likeness when hiring or promoting. The term used to
describe this is psychosocial reproduction. I am not an expert on
the subject, but conventional wisdom does seem to indicate that
many of us are simply more comfortable around people who are similar
to ourselves. Surrounding ourselves with too many differences might
entail some additional and rather difficult work in communicating
and reaching agreement on key issues. Perhaps that explains why
a lot of leadership teams are basically homogenous groups, with
the customary one or two exceptions.
Now
think back about the captain. There are many things for which he
is ultimately responsible. On one hand, he is comparable to the
general manager of a grand Las Vegas type hotel where guests stay,
eat and drink in mass quantities, and seek to be entertained in
a variety of ways. These are the primary reasons that people take
cruises. They want to kick back and really enjoy themselves. And
in both situations, on the ship or in the hotel complex, a lot of
effort is required to give the customers a memorable experience.
On
the other hand, he must also be capable of transporting his 1000
ft., 80,000 ton entertainment resort across the open seas to a number
of different international ports. That is a capability noticeably
missing from the competencies required of the top officers of a
hotel.
My
guess is the captain of the cruise ship on which I traveled was
in position primarily because of his ability to captain a ship,
not because of his extraordinary gifts and experience in the hospitality
and entertainment industry. He had to fully trust and rely on others
for that. And those he had to trust were very, very different from
him.
If
he followed the path of many other businesses, he could have been
surrounded with other middle-aged Norwegian men who have had a lot
of experience in commanding a ship. Although that may have provided
a feeling of added comfort to the captain, it would likely not be
the best thing for the guests. They were on-board for the entertainment
and enjoyment as well as chance to visit new ports. And remember,
the entertainment piece is crucial to the ongoing success of their
business.
There
are a couple of lessons to take away from this. First, all leaders
know that leading others requires some sacrifice, and one of those
is often comfort. Leaders subordinate their own needs of comfort
for the needs of others, including associates and customers.
Reflect
on this a minute: when facing something very important, are you
more comfortable when you know how to take care of it yourself,
or when you don't know how and have to trust someone else to do
it for you? For most, extending trust does push the comfort zone
a bit.
If
you really want to test your comfort level, think about a slightly
different variation of that question. How comfortable are you in
letting go of something important that you are both ultimately responsible
for and capable of doing, and turning it over to someone else? In
our example, might it be more uncomfortable for the captain to turn
over control of his ship, than control of the food/beverage or entertainment
decisions? Think long and hard about your comfort with letting go
the next time you hesitate allowing one of your people the opportunity
to fill in for you on an important and highly visible assignment.
I've
heard the role of leadership described as everything from exhilarating
to terrifying. I am not sure if I have ever heard it described as
comfortable! Don't expect it to be.
The
other lesson is this. Effectively leading a widely diverse group
of people is hard work. You cannot ignore the fact that others interact
with the world much differently than you. From some of their most
deeply rooted beliefs to the way they communicate, they are simply
not a carbon copy of you. So now you have to learn to do things
differently and that takes effort.
You
have to spend time understanding and learning to appreciate the
differences. You have to pay closer attention to what you say and
how you say it. You must concentrate on listening and stop assuming
you know what people mean before they finish speaking. You have
to deliberately open your mind to new ways of thinking. You must
learn to accept that a viewpoint different from yours is not the
same as an inferior, less valid perspective. And to top it off,
you have to help all of your associates get better at these kinds
of things with each other.
Undoubtedly,
there is a great deal of challenge, hard work and predictable discomfort
that comes with leading a diverse team or organization. As a leader
you must be willing to step up and tackle those responsibilities.
It won't be easy, but you will become better and accomplish more.
And like a great cruise, my guess is it will be one heck of a memorable
and rewarding experience for you.
Reflection
Questions:
- What
do you truly believe about the value of diversity? Do you think
it contributes to better solutions and richer life experiences,
or is it mostly a rather popular, but relatively meaningless fad?
- What
benefits would you receive if you were able to surround yourself
with truly different kinds of people who have vastly different
ways of viewing the world?
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