Happy February!

To support you in being F.I.R.S.T. (Future-Ready. Innovative. Relevant. Strategic. Trusted.), here’s 1 tip and 1 quote.

The F.I.R.S.T. Tip

Most organizations say they value diversity. Many leaders genuinely mean it. After all, diversity brings immense benefits like higher-quality decision-making and greater innovation.

However, it’s easy to like diversity when it agrees with us. But what if it doesn’t?

Therein lies the real test.

Do we still see the value of diversity when our assumptions are challenged, meetings take longer, and consensus feels difficult?

THE QUESTION LEADERS DON’T ASK

A question that rarely gets airtime is:

Am I comfortable with diversity when it challenges how I think, decide, and lead?

It’s not because leaders oppose diversity, but because they underestimate what it demands.

Diversity doesn’t simply add perspectives—it introduces tension. And tension drains leadership time, emotional energy, and capability.

WHY DIVERSITY REMAINS SYMBOLIC

That’s why diversity often struggles: leadership systems are built to reward alignment.

When speed is valued over dialogue. When harmony is mistaken for alignment. When challenge is labeled resistance.

In these environments, difference is tolerated but not allowed to influence outcomes.

People with diverse views are present, but not heard. Invited, but often not trusted. Their backgrounds and experiences are acknowledged, but not allowed to reshape decisions.

WHAT LEADERSHIP READINESS ACTUALLY REQUIRES

Influence Solutions’ proprietary F.I.R.S.T framework lays the foundation for diversity to flourish:

Future-ready
Homogeneous thinking optimizes for what works currently. Diverse thinking prepares us for what comes next.

Innovative
Innovation requires friction. Agreement alone doesn’t create new value—it’s facilitating diverse viewpoints that creates the magic.

Relevant
Leadership loses relevance when it reflects only itself or a singular way of thinking.

Strategic
Better decisions come from informed tension, not rushed consensus.

Trusted
Trust grows when difference is engaged, not managed away.

The beauty is that actively facilitated diversity reveals the real mettle of leaders and elevates organizations to the next level.

THE REAL TAKEAWAY

Diversity is not a culture initiative—it is a leadership test.

It tests judgment. It tests trust. It tests influence beyond authority.

If differences exist but do not shape decisions, diversity is symbolic, not strategic.

Symbolic diversity reassures the organization without changing how leadership actually works or unleashing its full potential.

THIS MONTH’S ACTION FOCUS

Observe your next leadership discussion.

Notice three things:

• Whose ideas are explored, and whose are quickly dismissed?
• Which perspectives slow the group down, and how does the room respond?
• Where does the group move to closure too quickly?

Then ask one question before deciding:

“What perspective are we missing because it makes us uncomfortable?”

Don’t rush the answer. Sit with it. The response will tell you how ready your leadership system really is.

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BUILD LEADERSHIP CAPABILITY THAT SCALES

The gap between supporting diversity and leading through the tension it creates is a capability gap, not a values gap.

Influence Solutions works with leaders to build the specific capabilities that make diversity strategic: facilitating constructive conflict, integrating competing perspectives, and making better decisions through difference.

If you’re ready to move beyond symbolic diversity, let’s talk.

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The F.I.R.S.T. Quote