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Leadership Journal 
September 1, 2004
Leading a Diverse Team

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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