M4 056: How To Build Diversity Of Thought In Your Meetings

One Meeting Minute Thought for Your Week

You may not have thought much about the term “diversity of thought.”

Unfortunately, too many leaders don’t.

And, they and their businesses are missing out on the benefits of having diversity of thought in their teams and their meetings.

That doesn't have to be the case for you!

But, before we get into how you can build diversity of thought in your meetings, let's define the term.

What is diversity of thought?

It's easy to get confused because diversity of thought is related to but not the same as DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion).

I like the definition from this article, “Why You Need Diversity of Thought on Your Team.”

Diversity of thought is the reality that there is more than one way to think about something. It’s understanding that the way each person interprets and interacts with the world is reflective of their unique identity, culture and personal experiences. The greater variation in approaches to problems and unique perspectives, the greater the diversity of thought produced.

capitalonecareers.com

This means diversity of thought encompasses much more than some leaders think of when they hear the term "diversity."

I’ll use the description above for the foundation as I help you think about how you might build diversity of thought in the meetings in your business.

3 Steps to Build Diversity of Thought in Your Meetings

I recommend starting with these 3 steps for your meetings:

Value diversity of thought
Create a meeting environment that nurtures diversity of thought
Prepare for healthy conflict

Value diversity of thought

The first step to build diversity of thought in your meetings is to make sure it’s truly valuable to you.

If it’s not, there’s no need for you to proceed.

Because it’s easy for leaders to SAY diversity is important, but then have their actions reveal what they really believe.

For instance, here are some actions you may recognize in leaders who don’t sincerely value diversity of thought in their meetings.

They only invite people who are like them to their meetings. - The similarities may be in their appearance, their cultural backgrounds, their professional experience, or their style. You look around the room during their meetings and it looks like they perfected a cloning machine!
They don’t welcome challenges. - This becomes obvious when they shut down anyone who has a point of view that’s different than their own. They make it crystal clear that all comments should support their ideas (and their egos).
They build teams with little to no diversity. - Their meetings lack diversity of thought because there are no diverse team members to invite!

This short (2:27) video from Capital One does a fantastic job of describing exactly the opposite of that last bullet point.

It's clear Deb gets it!

I love how this introduction to the full article, “Why You Need Diversity of Thought on Your Team.” that includes this video makes the connection between diversity of thoughts and productive meetings.

Have you ever been in a meeting where ideas feel unchallenged and solutions feel stagnant? Your team feels like it’s been running in circles without a solution in sight. Maybe the key you need is diversity of thought. For Deb, a senior operations manager, cultivating a team culture with an emphasis on diversity of thought is her superpower.

capitalonecareers.com

When you’ve created a team comprised of people who think differently, you’ve demonstrated through your actions that you truly DO value diversity of thought.

And you’re equipped to bring your diverse team together in productive, effective meetings.

Create a meeting environment that nurtures diversity of thought

Bringing people who think differently together to do productive work in a meeting doesn’t happen without some planning.

As you prepare for your meetings, think about the ground rules you want to communicate to your participants to foster diversity of thought.

Here are some suggestions to spark your thinking:

Meeting Ground Rules to Nurture Diversity of Thought

Be curious. No one in the meeting knows everything.
No personal attacks. We’ll attack problems not people.
Demonstrate humility. We’ll strive to watch out for our egos.
Everyone’s voice should be heard. Each participant is invited for a reason.
We won’t ignore challenging or uncomfortable topics. If you disagree, speak up.

The last point leads us to our final step to build diversity of thought in your meetings.

Prepare for healthy conflict

I appreciate how Patrick Lencioni talks about conflict in his famous book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

Lencioni describes dysfunctional teams as having a fear of conflict. They avoid the productive, healthy conflict that's required to grow and solve problems.

Here’s how he compares two approaches to conflict:

Teams that fear conflict…

Have boring meetings.
Create environments where back-channel politics and personal attacks thrive.
Ignore controversial topics that are critical to team success.
Fail to tap into all the opinions and perspectives of team members.
Waste time and energy with posturing and interpersonal risk management.

Teams that engage in conflict…

Have lively, interesting meetings.
Extract and exploit the ideas of all team members.
Solve real problems quickly.
Put critical topics on the table for discussion.

Notice how the fear of conflict causes teams to miss out on the benefits of embracing diversity of thought.

Whereas, inviting and promoting healthy, productive conflict allows teams to be effective and productive in their meetings.

Preparing for and embracing conflict is critical to get the most from your teams!

Another Pat Lencioni resource I’ve found valuable for preparing teams for productive conflict during a meeting is The Six Types of Working Genius model.

The Six Types of Working Genius model and healthy conflict

This productivity tool helps people discover what type of tasks bring them joy, energy, and fulfillment using a quick Working Genius Assessment.

The model recognizes that any type of project or initiative moves through three phases:

Ideation
Activation
Implementation

3 stages of work

And every project requires tasks aligned with the 6 Working Geniuses:

Wonder
Invention
Discernment
Galvanizing
Enablement
Tenacity

Six Working Geniuses

When project teams include people with the full range of Working Geniuses, they typically have high levels of diversity of thought. And they’re more successful than those with fewer Working Geniuses and less diversity.

When you're striving for healthy conflict, the team member who has the Working Genius of Discernment adds tremendous value to a team.

Working Genius of Discernment

This person is your coworker in a meeting who loves to challenge potential solutions. They can list all the things that could go wrong with an idea along with identifying all the benefits.

And a person with the Working Genius of Invention who came up with the idea may perceive this critique as an attack.

They might feel like their precious solution is being torn to shreds!

And this can introduce unhealthy, unproductive conflict during your meeting.

But, if you’re using the Working Genius model regularly with your team and know the Working Geniuses and Frustrations of each person, you can avoid this negative situation.

To prevent unproductive conflict you can clarify in the Purpose of the meeting that the team will be “Discerning” the potential solution that’s been proposed.

When you clearly communicate this to the group, the person with the Working Genius of Discernment won’t hesitate to offer her insight because she’s afraid of hurting the feelings of the Invention coworker.

Instead, she’ll feel the freedom to do what she’s been designed to do: “assess the merit and workability of ideas or solutions.”

She'll also feel valued because her coworkers are asking for input. They WANT her to do what she loves to do: Discern!

And the teammate with the Working Genius of Invention will recognize the critique is occurring intentionally – not because others think his idea is bad but because they see it as valuable.

They value the proposed solution so much they want to put it to the test so it can be successful.

The Discernment activity ensures the concept moves from the Ideation stage through Activation (led by a Galvanizer) and then into Implementation by coworkers with Enablement and Tenacity Working Geniuses.

Just like Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team model, The Six Types of Working Genius way of doing work is built on a foundation that recognizes the importance of diversity of thought in teams and in meetings.

More Resources to Help You Build Your Career and Your Business

These posts also cover other benefits of diversity of thought for businesses and provide more tips on how to have healthy conflict:

🔷 3 Powerful Ways To Disagree When You Agree

🔷 Focus On These 2 Beliefs To Avoid Groupthink

🔷 How To Keep Your Team From Being Just Like You

To learn more about the Six Types of Working Genius Framework and Assessment check out these posts:

🔷 How To Recognize The Benefits Of The 6 Types Of Working Genius Model

🔷 What Is The Working Genius Assessment? – A Real Life Example

Spoiler Alert for that last bullet point: The real life Working Genius Assessment example is mine.

Take a look if you’re curious to know what my two Working Geniuses are.

And Now a Word from Our Sponsors

If you’re interested in reading what I consider to be Pat Lencioni’s best book ever and discovering more about The Six Types of Working Genius model, click here to get your copy!