You're facing a critical decision as a leader. How can you ensure diverse perspectives shape your choices?
As a leader, your decisions shape the future. To ensure diverse perspectives inform your choices:
How do you integrate diverse perspectives into your decision-making process?
You're facing a critical decision as a leader. How can you ensure diverse perspectives shape your choices?
As a leader, your decisions shape the future. To ensure diverse perspectives inform your choices:
How do you integrate diverse perspectives into your decision-making process?
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This is a time to lean into your network and trusted partnerships you have developed along the way. If you view diversity as a value and not a strategy, your network and folks you surround yourself with will reflect that. Networking should be part of your DNA and something you do on the regular. You need to invest into your network, nurture it, provide value and support it. This way when you need their opinion and perspective, your network has your back. Don't be a boomerang networker - this is when someone comes around only when they need something and then disappears until next time they are in a jam.
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Seeking varied opinions, being non judgemental and creating space, are all good. As a first step, build an environment of trust and shared values. We all have mental models that need to be shared without the fear of being ridiculed. That needs a high level of emotional maturity within the team. Self awareness and social skills shall be nurtured in, what I call, a Learning Organization. Discussions should be on issues, not person specific. Organizational values shall be role modelled by all, particularly the senior management. Reward systems must be aligned to highlight the value an organization place on adherence to corporate values. Building effective leadership at all levels is a journey taken by great leaders.
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A few things I have found to be helpful to adopting diverse perspectives. Create an atmosphere of psychological safety others know it is ok to share differing ideas. Adopt a growth mindset. This mindset appreciates new ideas and understands there is more than one way to approach an issue. Practice moving from Discourse 1 thinking to Discourse 2 thinking as defined by Eugene Eubanks
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