In AHL founder Dan Nielsen’s newly released book, Be An Inspirational Leader: Engage, Inspire, Empower, the importance of your team and each team member’s unique differences are discussed often. Every person has a unique personality and particular strengths and weaknesses. This often means a diverse team is a well-rounded team able to accomplish goals more effectively. Today we are revisiting two interview segments that highlight the importance of unique differences.
In the first segment featured today, Mary Ellen Doyle, Corporate VP of Nursing Operations at Scripps Health, has the opportunity to discuss team member unique differences. Doyle states, “I grew up with this notion, ‘Wouldn’t it be a boring world if we were all alike?’… in the workplace I keep that in the back of my mind.” She goes on to note,
“When I think about the team I am working in now, we are all very different. Collectively, though, we are achieving great things… As leaders we need to appreciate that there will be individuals [who we] perhaps don’t understand, or that have a totally different point of view… If you let people live out their talents and where they’re good, they can produce contributions in ways that you never ever imagined, because they get to live out what they’re good at.”
In the second featured segment, we hear from Marc Reynolds, who also works at Scripps Health as SVP of Payer Relations. Reynolds discusses the unique differences of the leadership team at Scripps including his fellow co-worker and boss, Richard Rothberger, CEVP and CFO at Scripps Health.
“He’s a guy who I think challenges everybody he works with. His heart is always in the right place. It’s not because he wants to find some fault with you or make you look like you don’t know what you’re doing.”
While it may be tempting to fill your leadership team with people who work and think like you, consider branching out. Find people that improve you and will bring out the best in your organization.
To watch these two segments, click above.