Dr Raymona Lawrence: A Conversation About Diversity, Profitability and Leadership

TheInquisitor Podcast with Marcus Cauchi

Leaders, listen up! An inclusive culture is your shortcut to success. Nothing fluffy about it, but it does mean you're going to want become OK with difference because of the incomparable value delivered by teams of diverse thinkers with range, and breadth of life experience. Your job and the job of your managers will be harder to begin with as you adapt.

When you surrender to the idea that the right mix of people looking at a problem, working on projects, selling, buying, running operations, leading and managing works so much better if your team can think AS your customer. A fraction are genuinely aligned around the customer and the outcomes they intend to rent. Fewer still play nicely with others to ensure the customer gets the best possible outcome and their risk is reduced to zero or as close to. A smaller fraction would be willing to recommend a competitor if it was better for the customer. And their leadership will probably not be happy if the experience of my clients is anything to go by! But the results are well worth it ...

Too many companies leave talent and treasure on the table by ignoring diversity. Just like top teams scout far and wide for recruits, you need all hands on deck to win consistently, repeatedly, predictably in today's uncertain, fast paced, ultra competitive market. A diverse team often sees what a homogenous group misses - they connect with a wider customer base and bring in more revenue - but the best thing is they catch the negative consequences one department's success inflict elsewhere in the value chain. This can give you back 1-4 days PER MANAGER and PER SALESPERSON per week. How?

Listen to Raymona and me discuss:

• The importance of understanding different perspectives and backgrounds
• Common challenges with D&I, such as lack of focus on culture change and middle management training
• Recruiting for culture add vs culture fit and screening in vs screening out
• The importance of identity and the previously confusing world of pronouns while maintaining civility in discussions
• Overcoming fear and bias through self-awareness, interaction and difficult conversations
• Aligning D&I with business goals like maximising talent and customer connections

The business case for diversity is a no-brainer, but most pay lip service to it or miss it entirely by confusing a better future for everyone with political squabbling. Forget labels, focus on our shared humanity. Make understanding each other a priority. Diverse perspectives lead to better decisions and more innovation - talents you can't afford to leave on the bench!

For those facing glass ceilings, developing self-awareness is your game-changer. Know thyself and seek out of uncomfortable but important conversations to strengthen crucial skills. Emphasise common goals over perceived differences. With the right coaching, middle managers can remove barriers facing most of their peers in the competition.

In today's marketplace, diversity dictates your fate.

Will you be victims of your own blindspots or victors with vision? The choice is yours - but choosing inclusion unlocks unlimited potential for your people and profits. The winning team has a place for everyone's talents. Will you build one?

Connect with Raymona via linkedin.com/in/drraymonahlawrence.

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