Hi, Jane - thanks for a very insightful post on a subject near and dear to me.

I enjoyed and found value in everything you shared, but I particularly liked the second paradox about inclusion and exclusion.   I have been part of any organization that approached diversity as a checklist:  every project had to have a certain mix of people based on their diversity, rather than on any special skill set or talent that person might offer.

I once watched painfully as a promising young black employee was given responsibility and authority far beyond his current level of expertise, because our leadership team wanted to visibly support diversity in our management ranks.   This is a good goal and a proactive company wants to do exactly this ... but you have to support the person as they grow into the role, which would apply to anyone being developed as a leader.

In this situation, a vocal few were waiting for visible signs of uncertainty or lack of knowledge around the project which this person was given.  Unsurprisingly, with a lack of support, this "evidence" came fairly quickly.  The result:  One potentially gifted leader receives a shellacking, one organization loses a potentially powerful leader, and the worst cut of all was the resulting and lingering attitude that "those people can't cut it" ... sadly, to my knowledge, this organization still operates under this assumption, referring to this one incident as support for their reluctance to allow anyone non-male, non-white, and non-old into leadership.

To me, this is in the same ballpark as another complaint I have heard from those who are members of a group identified as a diversity goal.

While leaders are sometimes more benign, we still generalize:  The first black management employee is asked to represent an entire group of diverse people, who happen to all be black.  The "token" woman on the leadership team is assumed to have certain feminine traits, perceptions, and inclinations, simply because of her sex.  I could go on, but the issue seems clear.  One is asked to speak for all.

As we try to create more diverse teams and workplaces, we sometimes lose track of the unique value of each individual.

However, your contributions through this post and your continued championing of strong and diverse work teams may just change this:).

John