How to manage diverse teams?

One of the questions I get frequently asked is if diversity is so important, how come most organizations are not diverse enough? The recent #blacklivesmatter movement has thrown light on the diversity numbers in several organizations. Yet few managers are coming forward and asking for help to improve the situation.

Why teams and hired and built with people who look alike is because inherently as human beings we have a bias. And every experience we have forms the basis for the bias we have. For change to happen at a fundamental level, we need to start with accepting that we have biases. And then finding ways to address it.

Having lived & worked in 13 countries over 3 continents and having worked with over a hundred nationalities and different demographics, some of the things that work for me to address my biases:

1.      Every voice matter – Teams I have led and lead, I always approach with the belief that every voice matters. In every group, there are extroverts and people who are happy hearing their own voice 😊. As a leader, it's our responsibility to make sure that everyone gets a chance to speak. An easy way to make sure every voice is heard is to do a round table and not to hurry up speakers since all of us do not have the same talking pace.

2.      Owed respect vs earned respect – I respect every individual as a human being and inside and outside of work I am very respectful. This is owed respect and is not what brings out the best from diverse teams. Earned respect, or respect for the skills, abilities & competence of each team member is what unlocks the full potential of diverse teams. So next time you are respectful to a fellow human being ask yourself if its owed respect or earned respect that you are exhibiting?

3.      Integrity & being fair – Our actions speak so much louder than words. I have been in discussions and teams with managers who say one thing and do another thing. I have also led teams where not everyone got along with others perfectly well. While not everyone got what they wanted, they have all been sure of one thing – I listen to both sides of the story ALWAYS before taking my stand. Integrity and fairness do not always give you likeability, but it will always earn the respect.

4.      Conflict management – By far the biggest hidden aspect of bias is averseness to conflict. We tend to chose people like us because we want agreement. Diversity brings in different perspectives and if not managed well, it leads to conflicts resulting in more damage than good. As a leader, my biggest takeaway is that I need to listen to things I do not want to hear. It takes courage, vulnerability and a lot of grit to just listen with an open mind. And then comes the harder part – act on the listening. One thing that works for me always is to put purpose back on the table – the purpose of the team. If any perspective helps us live our purpose, it has a place. This also puts the accountability on my team to live by the purpose.

5.      Communication – No amount of communication is over communication. My single most priority as a leader is to establish a cohesive, collaborative team. And that starts with communication. Weekly team calls, quarterly all hands call, townhalls, e-mails, newsletters – all of these are part of the structured communication. But nothing beats the one-on-one sessions. Over the years, I have practiced more of the listening skills. 80% of them time I just listen – there is no advice, no suggestion, no nudging, nothing at all. I just listen – deeply, intently and we conclude with what can be improved both ways.

How have you successfully built diverse teams and harnessing the full potential of varied perspectives?