A team of batters and bowlers

Many organisations use ‘Red Teams’, challenge panels, subject matter experts and ‘champions’ to test their planning assumptions and critique delivery options and contingencies. I fully support this approach and have also extensively used peer reviewing, both to get a better plan and expose possible blind spots whilst binding key stakeholders into a preferred way forward. However, there is a step before this - choose your own team wisely in the first place!

To use a sporting analogy, no team has been successful over a prolonged period with only one type of playing style or personnel; rugby teams need forwards and backs, football sides have attackers, defenders and a goalkeeper - cricket teams need batters and bowlers with the odd all rounder and a wicket keeper thrown in. The analogy works well when translated into operational and event planning and delivery, where non diverse teams tend towards group think, a paucity of helpful challenge and different perspectives leading to underperformance and taking a path towards critical incidents. Teams selected with limited life experiences and only one mind and skillset in their makeup fail as they are brittle, inward looking and constrained. Teams cloned in your image might be more comfortable as a leader; but to be surrounded by likeminded loyalists ultimately leads, in my experience, onto a pathway to failure. 

To be clear: I value competence above all things; but in my professional practice getting a diverse team is always a mission critical consideration. My rule of thumb is whether an individual has the strength of character to offer a different view or perspective from everyone else in a room. This does not have to be loud or shouty but comes from a strength of character and conviction; the trick is to give your colleagues the right opportunities to be heard, be inclusive and listen to others!

Diversity is not ‘woke’ but essential, sensible and critically important to creating successful teams and positive outcomes.