Early on in my first-level supervisory and middle-level management career, I desired to have a team that was comprised of people just like me. I had a hard drive and wanted to achieve the goals of the organization and successfully attain the mission. I thought the only way I could be successful in this regard was to have a team in place where the members thought like me, had the same professional goals as me, had the same drive as me, and would fall into lockstep with me on what I wanted to accomplish. After all, I had my own professional desire to move up in the organization and did not want anything to stop that from happening.

This all changed for me when I was about two years into my role as a lieutenant assigned to the Internal Affairs Division. The commanding officer of the division informed me of a sergeant he was bringing on board, who would fall under my management chain. I was unhappy and pushed back pretty aggressively; I told him this decision was a mistake.

After ranting, he told me that this was going to happen, and I had to make the best of it. He then said to me if there was one chink in my armor, it was that I expected everybody to be just like me. He reminded me that everybody is not just like me, and a team made of people with a diversity of styles, thoughts, beliefs, and experiences make for a better and more successful team. Those words hit me hard.  I was taken aback by what he said; however, upon reflecting on his words, I realized he was right. The sergeant who had been selected actually wound up being one of my best direct reports. He offered valuable insight into a variety of situations, and I soon came to trust him as one of my advisors. 

As I continued to progress into command and executive-level ranks, I sought out opportunities to create diverse teams that reported to me and to allow for each team member to provide their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs on the work we were doing. I found the depth and breadth of views, thoughts, and opinions to be advantageous for the work we were doing, and I found that I was making decisions that were accepted better by those whom my decisions affected. The professional and personal experiences each person brought to the table was invaluable. We avoided dangerous groupthink.

As I continue in my professional career as a manager, now in the private sector, I find I value the diversity of the team I lead even more. Partly, because entering a new industry, I realize how much I can learn from the people on my team and how valuable each is to the company’s overall success.

As a young supervisor or manager early in a professional career, one may be more focused on their own upward movement and professional development and growth than that of those they lead. However, with tenure and experience, the realization sets in that one of your responsibilities is to prepare the next generation of leaders to take your place. One of the best ways to do that is to develop diverse teams, where people can grow and develop by tapping into their own skills, abilities, capabilities, and are not afraid to speak up and provide valuable insights and advice to the team and team leader based on their own professional and personal life experiences. This can help to build the confidence of team members as they progress in their own careers, and in turn, very satisfying for the leader to see those they are leading succeed.

Today, I don’t desire to lead a team where everybody thinks just like me. I realize that for a team to be successful, diversity matters.