As I’ve been having strategic conversations with people not like me, it’s been a powerful reminder of why we need to intentionally invite these perspectives into our world. Curious questions, creativity, new thinking and the power of intelligent naivety adds immense value to the outcomes.

So what does that mean????
I don’t want to work with people who are just like me.
I want to work with people who challenge me.
Who bring ideas to the table that I never would have considered.
Who question my assumptions, push back (constructively), and see opportunities where I see roadblocks.

Diversity, no matter if it is in thought, background, skill set, or lived experience, isn’t some fancy corporate buzzword. It’s a strategic advantage!

We also need to understand the risk of sameness. Too often we are happy living in this space, but we don’t actually stop to think about how dangerous this is.
When everyone in a room shares the same perspective, we get echo chambers.
Groupthink takes over, decisions become predictable, and innovation flatlines.

The best leaders don’t surround themselves with “yes people”, they seek out friction, knowing that the right kind of tension leads to better outcomes.

Think about the last time someone truly made you rethink something??
Was it comfortable? Probably not.
Was it valuable? Absolutely.


Diversity fuels better decision-making, but only if we create the conditions where different perspectives can be heard and valued.

That means:
Welcoming discomfort. If a conversation never challenges you, it’s probably not diverse enough.
Listening with intent. Not just waiting for your turn to speak, but truly hearing what someone with a different perspective has to say.
Reframing disagreement. Instead of seeing it as conflict, view it as an opportunity to expand your thinking.

As leaders building teams for the future, the ones that thrive will be the ones built on adaptability and diverse thinking.

If we only ever work with people like ourselves, we put a ceiling on our potential. But when we actively seek out difference, we unlock a kind of collective intelligence that no one person can achieve alone. (I like it to thinking about orange can only be made by mixing red and yellow together – it does not exist on it’s own).

Think about your team, your strategy, or your vision for the future. Ask yourself, “”Am I just hiring for familiarity? Or am I building for strength and innovation?”

Real impact doesn’t come from sameness. It comes from the tension, the challenge, and the brilliance that only happens when we work with people not like us.

~Lisa