Driving Commercial Performance Through Diversity & Inclusion

The case for building diverse and inclusive commercial teams is becoming clearer every day. Maximizing the contribution of every individual allows us to infuse diverse thought as a natural part of the way we innovate. At Microsoft, this allows us to realize our mission to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. But not everyone knows how to make that vision a reality. The best way to unpack this complex topic is to start with “why.”

I had a chance to interview Trevor Noah – successor to the OG Daily Show host, Jon Stewart – on mission, mindset, and culture. Knowing he had big shoes to fill, Noah wanted to stay true to the roots of the show while appealing to new audiences who wanted to consume news through new platforms. He set out to appeal to the growing millennial population, half of whom are female. Quick to note he had a mostly male writing staff, he told me that diversity was far more than fulfilling quotas or ticking boxes…he rightfully believed that female writers were more likely to be able to write material that appealed to female audiences. Noah was recently nominated for his first Emmy award, showing that maybe this diversity thing can be a major differentiator!

@VernaMyers, author and innovator, describes diversity and inclusion perfectly: “Diversity is about being invited to the party, inclusion is about being asked to dance.” I love this metaphor because it is so easy to understand. Have you ever been to a dance party where no one is dancing? LAME! It’s way more fun and memorable when everyone is rockin’ out, preferably in their own special spastic way!

Applying the dance party metaphor to the workplace is straight forward. All of us have a core group of professionals that are either officially or unofficially our “go to” posse, and that group is usually limited to a small number. But, in truth, this approach leaves resources behind – in the form of expertise that could fundamentally change desired outcomes. This is the place where we can all make a big impact by simply including more people – of course, the right people – in our work dance parties. 

Every sales force I’ve ever been a part of has had to work on at least two things: how to improve the ability to appeal to customers and how to address capacity constraints. To me, the answer is simple: we need to learn how to build a more diverse workforce, and we need to learn how to harness the power of that workforce through inclusion.

I recently evaluated my team’s performance using Microsoft Workplace analytics. I found that sales people with greater than 150% quota attainment were 25% more inclusive than those that had lower performances (e.g. they collaborated with a higher number of individuals in their daily work flows). To me, building a diverse and inclusive workforce has always been the right thing to do from a basic humanity perspective. But suddenly, the results of this study have turned this conversation into an urgent business case.

So let’s assume you have the right hiring engines and retention programs in place to build and retain a diverse commercial team. What can you do differently to ensure you are harnessing their talent in the most inclusive way? A few things to try:

1.      Figure out who’s on the team. Who’s speaking up in meetings and who isn’t? Proactively ask those who share less opinions for their perspective on important topics. Help them get engaged.

2.      Figure out who’s not on the team and ask why. Find people with different expertise and invite them to help solve a problem.

3.      Redefine the team. Our digital ecosystem allows gaining new perspectives, near and far, easier than ever. Use it to your advantage!

Inclusion is how we take a set of finite resources and make them seem infinite. If we get it right, that core team you rely on can grow from a ten-person posse to a squad of a thousand.

Who’s with me?