True diversity: perspectives, not hairstyles.

Let’s kick off this snack ?? with a thought-provoking question: do you believe your team is diverse just because you’ve assembled a collection of “different figurines”?

If you answer yes, take caution: you might be mistaking diverse appearances for diverse ideas.

At Gratia, we invite you to look beyond the surface and sidestep the trap of cosmetic diversity — focusing on ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, nationality, or style. While this visual mix might make for a striking photo on your corporate website, it doesn’t necessarily mean your team is creative, talented, or productive.

First takeaway: the kind of diversity that fuels creativity and innovation isn’t about demographic categories; it’s about the range of complementary perspectives and experiences that enrich your team.

True innovation emerges from collaborating with different minds willing to challenge and synergize.

How dull: everyone looks alike. How exciting: everyone thinks differently.

Think about those Apollo XI documentaries. The NASA command center had people sporting identical haircuts, shirts, and ties. By today’s standards, we might lament the lack of diversity.

Yet these individuals launched astronauts to the moon.

Although they looked alike, their thinking was diverse. Each was an expert in fields as varied as parachutes, medicine, engines, computers, physics, and psychology. This was synergy and creativity in their purest form.

If you aim to reach your moon, don’t focus on appearances; focus on the mind.

The three diversities you need.

With feet firmly on the ground, here are three essential traits to look for when building a truly innovative team:

1. The richness of perspectives: Bring in individuals who view the same challenge through different yet complementary lenses.
2. Variety of experiences: Incorporate people with diverse backgrounds — those who’ve stood on various sides of the counter, worked across industries, or even shifted professions. Their unique biases will combine to spark novel ideas.
3. Critical thinking: Ensure everyone on the team can question assumptions, propose improvements, ask uncomfortable questions, and contribute original solutions.

Already built a diverse team? Protect It!

If you’ve assembled a team of unique minds and sensibilities, don’t let internal conflicts overshadow their potential. Here are four quick strategies to make them shine:

1. Celebrate individual strengths. Each team member is unique and contributes to the whole. If technical expertise dominates your team and those individuals often take the spotlight, highlight other vital talents.
2. Create safe spaces for debate: foster an environment where team members can voice dissent without fear of retaliation. Encourage respectful dialogue and weigh all opinions. Leaders must actively ensure psychological safety, and collaborators should advocate for it.
3. Promote critical thinking and a horizontal mindset: encourage the questioning of assumptions, the pursuit of alternatives, and the exploration of unconventional solutions. Challenge the status quo, puncture egos (starting with your own), break down silos and allow for creative destruction. Ultimately, the best idea should win — not the one presented by the loudest or most senior voice.
4. Facilitate structured contributions: using tools to systematize idea-sharing to prevent dominant voices from monopolizing discussions. For example, collecting written ideas before meetings ensures that even quieter team members are heard.

A final note on discrimination.

Discrimination — whether negative or positive — is always unfair. The only criteria for selection or promotion should be ability and merit based on equal opportunity.

If you choose someone for a role, prioritize honesty, talent, commitment, and enriching perspectives over superficial factors. Avoid succumbing to mandates or quotas. Fill positions with the most suitable person, whether they’re all women, all men, all aliens, or a mix. At Gratia, for instance, almost 90% of our team are women, and many are mothers ??. Was this intentional? Not at all — it happened because, in each selection process, we chose the person we believed was the best fit for the role. Additionally, statistically, there are more women than men in Communication, just as the opposite is true in Engineering.

Remember, you’re competing in the market and must deliver the best for your customers. As a leader, your responsibility is to cultivate a team of exceptional minds where diverse ways of thinking can thrive. You will only achieve true diversity — not just a superficial display but a robust force that tackles challenges, transforms differences into synergies, and redefines innovation.

At the intersection of unexpected worlds, the best ideas are born.

For a deep dive into this article, visit the podcast episode.

Thoughts?

Thanks for reading this Gratia snack — now create something amazing!

IT’S ALWAYS WITH WHOM?

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