Diversity & Disagreement…

Talk about the unstoppable force and the immovable object …  We are witnessing this paradox in many elements of our society today, true?  It’s not that diversity and disagreement are anything new.  But the levels of today’s intensity are something I’ve not witnessed in recent memory. 

I believe diversity and disagreement are inseparable.  It’s navigating through the tension that exists in between these that matters.  Today, our skill and ability to manage this tension is being severely tested, don’t you agree? 

Shay & Margaret McConnon in their book Managing Conflict in the Workplace © put it this way: 

I see you as wrong.  You see me as wrong.  We are both right. 

Simple; direct; accurate?  Yes.  But it’s not that we disagree.  Diversity by definition involves disagreement, doesn’t it?  It’s how we think about disagreement that matters. 

College football coaching legend Paul, “Bear” Bryant put it this way: 

Over the years I've learned a lot about coaching staffs and one piece of advice I would pass on to a young coach or corporate executive or even a bank president is this; Don't make them in your image.  Don’t even try.  My assistants don’t look alike, think alike, or have the same personalities.  And I sure don't want them all thinking the way I do.  You don't strive for sameness, you strive for balance. 

From the virtual conference rooms to the streets of our cities, diversity and disagreement are reaching a fevered pitch unseen since the civil rights movement and the Viet Nam War of the 1960s.  Finding balance is indeed becoming elusive. 

Coincidently, “sameness” dominated a business meeting I attended.  I don’t know if sameness is good or bad.  Personally, I’ve always liked a good argument.  To me, disagreeing over the  diversity of ideas is intellectually fulfilling and helps me learn.  Unfortunately, disagreeing without being disagreeable is a challenge I’ve failed too often.  Still learning! 

Recently, our global team met and one of the topics we discussed was the diversity among the various individuals on our team.  Like other teams in business, ours is global in nature; a mix of age, gender, experience, etc.  And yet, during the 4-hours of meeting time not a single person (sadly, myself included) offered one word of disagreement.  Not one word. 

Setting the environment for a meaningful discussion that includes both diversity and disagreement is a leadership skill: 

Alfred Sloan, Chairman and CEO of General Motors for years was in a Board meeting about to make an important decision.  He said, “I take it that everyone is in basic agreement with this decision.”  Everyone nodded.  Sloan looked at the group and said, “Then I suggest we postpone the decision.  Until we have disagreement, we don't understand the problem.” 

I’m not qualified to speak of solutions to our national (and international) conflicts grounded on diversity and disagreement.  I don’t fully understand the problems. 

It has been a blessing to learn how to look at my world through the lens of a sales professional.  I am amused (and somewhat dismayed) in comparing selling to current events.  The lens of a sales professional enables us to seek common ground with a potential customer. 

Sales professionals learn to look beyond race, religion, gender, age, political preferences, and the like.  Instead, we focus on completing a successful transaction with our soon-to-be-customer.  Interestingly, successful sales transactions often lead to successful business relationships in spite of diversity. 

If only the world were so easy! 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.