As human beings, we tend to naturally be cliquish or tribal.
We surround ourselves with people who look like us, share similar values, and share common interests. This mindset is permissible and can even be prudent as a personal practice.
As a leader, this habit could prove destructive to the ecology of your vision. Your team should be diverse, not just ethnically, but also ideologically. Although it may provide you with a measure of comfort, the last thing you need is a homogeneous team that solely mirrors your personality. As leaders, we set the tone and climate of the office space. We determine what is accepted, welcomed, or even rejected in the team’s ecology.
These determinations are not always verbally expressed—in some cases our biases bleed through our communications, causing team members who think differently than the rest to feel excluded or even rejected.
Is your team ideologically diverse? Can you say that each of your team members brings a unique flavor to the work? Do all your team members feel respected, valued, and appreciated as they are, or do they feel the need to assimilate into the dominant culture? As the leader of the vision, you should ensure that all your team members feel welcomed and supported as they are—not as you would prefer them to be.
Truth be told, the personalities of your gifted team members make them the productive entities you find appealing. Expecting your team members to act more like each other, is sometimes similar to expecting the hand to operate like the eye or the foot like the heart.
God uses the unique personalities of the team to develop me. If I coerce them to change, based on my lack of comfort, I dilute their ability to be truly effective in the overall vision and in my personal growth. It is very easy to mistake unity for uniformity—and it is costly when this happens. Strive to be a leader who celebrates diversity, uplifts individuality, and weaves these differences together to produce effective work.
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