Think of your favourite manager and answer the following two questions.
Do you notice the similarities in the two answers? That is, what you like about your favorite manager is similar to what you appreciate about your own management style?
Now hold that thought…
When I talk about connection & alignment and working with people who are similar to you and people you like, the conversation inevitably turns to the following: the danger of hiring people just like yourself, fear of mini-me, and lack of diversity.
Let’s start from the bottom line. Our goal in organizations is to have bottom-line impact. Right? Ensuring sustainability, profitability, and growth with increased innovation, creativity, and customer service.
While diversity seems altruistic, it is necessary to fuel innovation, creativity, and customer service. For instance, in your global positioning, to best address and serve the needs of a diverse client base requires deep client understanding, which comes much easier from a diverse team. This level of innovation and understanding begins with connection—the prerequisite for team success.
Two key points here:
I actually had someone tell me that her company has a strong diversity program, specifically focused on women. – Diversity focused on one gender? Is that diversity?
To quote the Harvard Business Review, “Diversity without inclusion is useless.”
Inclusion delivers a sense of belonging…
So, what ensures inclusion?
The prerequisite for team success is connection. Connection does. Connection is necessary for inclusion.
Connection is about trust; it is built on “similarities.” People connect through shared experiences, beliefs, and preferences. That’s exactly why we see people hiring in their demographic group so often. Without tools, this is (or has been) the best proxy for assessing connection.
And most of us have experienced the trap of hiring people who seem like a “good team fit,” only to find out three weeks later that they have a different standard, show up late, are sloppy, are difficult to work with…
Take a look again at the attributes you appreciate in your favorite manager and in yourself, from the exercise we started with.
Did that have anything to do with demographics? Nope.
What we appreciate has to do with WORKING STYLE, which we can assess with tools.
When a connection is built based on working style, this is the prerequisite for team success and a recipe for successful collaboration.
So, if you are building a team, assess working style. Use tools to help you. Because this is both bottom-line relevant and the prerequisite for team success—a real competitive advantage, if you get it right!
Have a question? Find answers in our FAQ!
Need personalized support? Contact us today.
What Everyone Ought to Know about Hiring for Attitude Minal Joshi Jaeckli July 15, 2025 Simon Sinek says, “You don’t hire for skills, you hire.
What do YOU need to address in your organization: JOB FIT or INTERPERSONAL FIT? Minal Joshi Jaeckli July 19, 2025 Do you feel that the.
Why You Should Stop Hiring and Team Building in Hiring Process Like It’s 1999 Minal Joshi Jaeckli July 19, 2025 Description: Why? Because using the.
