What's on my mind? The conversation circle

Have you ever had one of those meetings where you're just talking in circles? Everyone is saying the same thing, just in different ways, and for some reason, it feels like you're getting nowhere??

In my last company, we had a guest from outside our team come over and experience this 'circling of the conversation' over my three-day leadership team meeting. He came away extremely frustrated, complaining that we were "all over the place" and that it took forever for us to come to a decision.

To some degree, he was right. It did take us a while to understand the problem and agree on the solution. But what he didn't see after the meeting was that we were all in. There was no grumbling, no backstabbing, no 'water cooler' debrief where people agreed to disagree with the outcome. We were satisfied with the decision we made as a team and were 100% committed.

This was a diverse team of men and women who brought multicultural and neurodiverse perspectives. Over the years, I have found that when you have diverse teams, it does take longer to make decisions. It takes longer to go around the circle to make sure everyone understands what we are talking about. It takes longer to interpret and consider the different perspectives.

And yes, it can be frustrating at times. But it is also magical. It makes your decisions and commitment stronger, and it removes groupthink and the politics that can otherwise take place at a top table.

With my diverse team at the helm that year, we sold the most software, the most solutions and overachieved by more than 15% on all of our numbers. There is power in the conversation circle.

Today at Colt, we are also realising the positive impact of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in action. I don't need McKinsey to tell me that diverse teams are more profitable, or Bain to say that they are more innovative; our numbers and trophies prove it.

I know many of you have been watching the news?and are asking, "are we still committed to DE&I?" The simple answer is yes.

It is a critical part of our strategy. It is a critical part of our success.

We have a rich tapestry of people and personalities, and I am proud to lead a company that values learning about and celebrating each other's backgrounds. I'm also a strong believer that if we look, sound and think like our customers, we can understand their needs better. The majority of Colties speak English as their second or even third or fourth language, which means we are able to do business and work through operational challenges all in the local language. It means we can provide an inclusive and seamless experience for all of our customers.

Diverse thinking is required now and in the future, especially as we encounter problems for which there are no solutions. DE&I will empower us to 'figure it out' as One Team. One Colt.