Leaving the comfort zone has never been so necessary. There is a clear need to change our work environment through diverse teams, composed of people with different mentalities, experiences and perspectives from ours so that it is possible to identify new problems, and opportunities, conquer new markets, create new products and innovative solutions, and most of all pass through critical moments faster.
So what does it take to become a diverse company?
The journey is long, but we seek to list some main points that are recurrent in our conversations
with HR leaders worldwide.
- Genuine commitment
For any other step on this journey to be truly effective, leadership needs to be genuinely committed to this change. “Your team knows you, if you’re not genuine. So you won’t inspire and if you don’t inspire you won’t generate the desired change.” This has been a recurring speech from several leaders that we have heard in our interactions. Another important factor of this genuineness is that when you are genuine you open yourself to possibilities and this is an essential step in this journey.
- Varied experiences
It is necessary for leaders and recruiters to think outside the box and bring different types of talent into the recruitment processes (affirmative recruitment), including for Boards. It is important to note that diversity enables interaction between different points of view, otherwise, if everyone has the same experiences, background and experiences, clearly the decisions will be the same, as there is no diversity and, at the very least, creativity will be limited.
- Create a collaborative environment
If people aren’t willing to share with each other, having a diverse team is totally irrelevant. To get these people to collaborate, the first step is to make them feel comfortable and confident. Creating a routine of squads, constructive feedback, coaching/mentoring, makes the collaboration environment lighter, healthier and results are visibly boosted. - Leadership is key
It is the leader’s role to guide his team to the right destination. The modern leader – what we call a digital leader – must have the ability to create opportunities for creativity and encourage a culture of error, that is, learning by doing! This leadership will also have the challenge of asking the right questions and strategically nurturing teamwork, always based on respect and collaboration, becoming an inclusive leader. Falling in love with the problem, not the solution, is key to modern leadership. - Patience
Last but not least, when we talk about different teams we are still talking about something new, so naturally this process will require a period of adaptation on the part of everyone involved, but then this union has the power to bring innovative ideas to solve real and imminent problems of companies and society as a whole.
As you can see, having a diverse team is essential. It’s not magic, it’s science. And it brings real results!
Original Material From EXEC – our members from Brazil
