We know that diverse teams deliver the goods. Science knows it. Academia knows it. And anyone who’s worked on a diverse team knows it.
But what we don't’ talk enough about, is how it feels to be a part of this diversity. If we are doing our job, showing up with ideas, challenging other team members, and generally pushing ourselves and each other to be brilliant, then diversity feels difficult. There is push back. There is scepticism. There is discomfort. BUT...if we can just hang in there long enough, trust our colleagues enough, and have faith that we all want to make a positive difference, then we can reap the rewards that diversity offers.
Case in point:
Before joining the Board of the Professional Speakers Association (PSA), I was the President for the Victorian/Tasmanian chapter of the PSA for 2 years. Both years I deliberately hand selected my leadership team, based on how different they were to me. Not just their backgrounds and expertise, but their thinking styles, their motivational preferences and their communication styles. Because whilst it’s fun to get along with everyone, it’s more satisfying to excel beyond expectations. (Note: this is not to say that you can’t also get along with everyone, but let’s not expect rainbows and lollipops in every conversation.)
Leading both of these leadership teams proved to me (again) the value of sitting in the ‘discomfort of difficult’ to reap the benefits of ‘diverse’. As a leader (and a member) I had a preference for the events we ran and the services we offered, but I’ve been around long enough to know that a/ my ideas aren’t always the best (What?! Yes, shocking I know!), and b/ even if I don’t personally like an idea, it doesn’t mean it’s not good.
In fact, there was more than one occasion leading these teams of brilliant professional speakers, where I had (secretly) wondered about the validity of a suggestion made, and would have normally wanted to poo poo it (technical term ). But I didn't. I held my tongue. I sat in the discomfort. I backed my people, and leant into the possibility that this idea, although maybe not my first choice, could in fact, be a good one. And then congratulated myself for allowing the secretly ‘poo poo'd’ idea to prove me wrong. Which it did on several occasions. Cue Face Palm Slap.
To get the best the best results, we need diversity. To make the difference of diversity work, we need to get comfortable with discomfort. If you’re slightly frustrated wrangling the tensions of difference in your team, it means you’re doing it right. Congratulations! You’re leading the way!
If you’re game to share, I’d love to hear any ‘bad ideas’ that turned out to be brilliant.