Seeking Diversity is a Success Imperative

The relationship between diversity, intelligence and problem solving

The world is in transition. While there is uncertainty around what the transition is, it would be a fairly safe bet to back more remote, online and cross geographical working.

How we communicate will be a big factor in determining success, and leveraging diversity is going to matter. Being able to hold a bigger world view and developing capacity for productive conversations will make the difference.

Let’s begin by discussing something that won’t change - the reasons why people avoid uncomfortable conversations. Avoiding conversations stems from a fear of:

Saying the wrong thing
Being mis-judged
Being misunderstood
Being exposed
Upsetting somebody
Losing face
Falling out with someone
Being ignorant or stupid (or worse - being seen to be that)

Speaking about difficult things

Speaking about difficult things and areas of tension can be risky and threatening. But if we don’t, we risk getting stuck or doing damage.

We begin to compromise the development of ourselves, our organisations and communities. We compromise our agency, experience and results.

Here’s some reasons why we might want to engage with difficult things. Also, some thoughts about how we do it.

Diversity and intelligence are correlated
One factor referenced as contributing to Alzheimer’s and Dementia, is the narrowing of interactions a person has as they get older. A safeguard is making sure we have lots of contact with people. More specifically, lot’s of different conversations with lot’s of different people.

Our world view diminishes when we don’t check in with others. Leon Festinger in his work on Social Comparison Theory, made the point that we form and evolve our beliefs and values in this way. We speak to others to get more information, context, understanding and insight.

We develop a broader, deeper, more useful and intelligent world view, by seeking and inviting diversity.

Seeking and inviting diversity is a success imperative

The ability to listen
Often when we listen what we are really doing is waiting for our turn to speak. When we listen to understand, it’s a game changer.

When we listen to understand, the person speaking is validated by the experience. They will probably invite the same back. We don’t always have to agree - the validation works even without agreement. Relationship currency increases.

Equally important, in the act of listening to understand, we may very well expand the information that is available to us, in a way that leads to a more useful way forward.

A lot gets in the way of listening
Truly listening to understand requires a lot of self-management. It means being aware of where you are listening from. Here’s a basic checklist for things that get in the way of listening:

Ego defences | Assumptions | Perceptions | Bias’s | Safety / Threat | Judgements | Status games | Opinion | Internal chatter

Doing the work
Self-management is only possible with self-awareness. Doing the work of self-awareness is perhaps the most important development work leaders can do. It usually benefits from a variety of external input like coaching, feedback and learning focused on human behaviour.

Truly listening to others usually means letting go of illusory positions of control.

Safety
In my work, psychological safety sits central to everything I do. That’s not to confuse cosiness with the absence of challenge. It’s to do with gaining permission to talk about difficult things. In my experience, trust and relationship currency are a cornerstone of high performance.

From a neurological standpoint, when we feel safe our brain chemistry sets up the right cocktail for higher level thinking. Like the ability to change our mind based on more information, delayed gratification, innovation, future visioning.

When we feel threatened, we retreat to an earlier part of our brain. This limbic [mammalian] brain gives us dualistic choices like good/bad; safe/dangerous, friend/foe.

A better future requires higher level thinking

We have to make it easier for each other
I believe the current transition we are working through will take us to a higher collective consciousness.

We need leaders who have capacity for holding uncertainty, ambiguity and constant change. These leaders need to be able to create environments where others can occupy this space with them. Some of that looks like:

Enabling learning and growth in self and others
Curious exploration
Recognising possibility and emergence
Embracing diversity for the intelligence it brings
Embracing diversity as humanity
Looking after our collective home
Listening to understand
Self-awareness and self management (leaving your ego at the door)
Creating psychological safety
Engaging with challenge as a messengers rather than a problem to fix

Try this

Here’s a simple self-coaching activity. It’s just one consideration. It could serve you for a lifetime.

As you go about all the various interactions in your day, notice and get curious about where you are listening from.

Hold it lightly, experiment, notice what shifts in yourself and others.