We are all different (and that is a good thing)!

“Strength lies in differences, not in the similarities,” Stephen R. Covey.

As I reflect over the years, I realize some of the first mistakes I made as a leader -  two classic mistakes we all have done (don’t tell me you haven't) -  hiring people that are not as strong as yourself and also finding someone that 

is similar to yourself. By hiring this way, you are ensuring they will not outperform you and you are comfortable having people similar to you. A perfect example of an old classic mistake.

As Stephen Covey says, strength lies in differences. When I hire people for my Executive Leadership Team and am looking for Board members,  I am looking for an individual different than myself, someone who has different views so we can challenge the status quo and they can challenge my views. If there are two of me, then there is one too many.

That is why diversity is extremely important for me and for the company I am so lucky to be a part of – ENAVATE. Diversity breeds creativity. The more diversity we have, the more interesting, provocative and stimulating our company will be. If we are all the same and have no diversity, we will not be able to challenge and learn from each other. If we are all the same, what is the point? If we all have the same mindset, then it could lead to groupthink, narrow focus and we will have one single way of looking at the world. That singular type of thinking will not get us to Vision 2020. I guarantee you that you and your company will not be successful without having a solid diversity strategy. Diversity is not something you have on a poster. I have seen many companies with those fancy posters, but no execution. But hey, it looked cool…

A part of diversity is to grow more female leaders. In 2012, only 3.8% of all Chief Executive Officers in US Fortune 500 companies were women, a number that is way too low.

The benefits of having a 50/50 mix of females and males are the traits each group bring to the table. I read an article that included a survey showing the following trends between females and males:

As you can see, combining these characteristics makes us more balanced and a lot stronger.

A part of our Vision 2020 plan, we have planned to spend more time in 2018 to see how we can become even better in supporting female team members and leaders of ENAVATE. With 33% of ENAVATE's Leadership team being comprised of women compared to only 9% of women in technology companies in the US, we are doing fairly well. Overall,  36% of our team members are women. We can and will do better. What is your diversity strategy?

Another way in which we are diversifing is by bringing people in from different industries. Our new Chief Sales Officer, Bud Michael, is a good example. Not only is he an experienced former CEO, he has never had exposure to the Microsoft Dynamics industry. When we are in meetings and the sales team is engaging with Bud, he does not have the same background as those of us whom can only spell AX (or NAV). The outcome is a fresh and different perspective of the situation and things we need to discuss. This is very healthy since we tend to do the same thing over and over again. Doing things different, makes different results (hopefully better).

“We know that businesses with diverse work-forces can outperform their more homogeneous peers and are better positioned to adapt to a rapidly changing global business environment. Within the context of increased uncertainty and complexity, firms must resist group-think and welcome a range of perspectives in order to grow and meet challenges of today” Sacha Romanovitch, CEO Grant Thornton UK LLP

One of the things I really love about Enavate is that we have so many different personalities, people with different backgrounds and a good mix of views, knowledge, gender and cultures. Are you as lucky as I am?

About the Authour - Thomas Ajspur

Thomas is a seasoned entrepreneur who began working with Microsoft Dynamics 25 years ago as an  ERP user and implementer, and then utilized it as the  system to run his own business. In 1999, Thomas  joined the Microsoft Dynamics Professional Services  industry with a focus on building ERP high  performance organizations in Europe and the US and  is known in the industry for selling large international AX deals. He is CEO of ENAVATE Holdings, LLC.