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It would be hard to find someone who’d argue that diversity in organizations is not valuable. Diverse experiences, cultures, skills and perspectives make the workplace dynamic, creative and innovative.

The tragedy is that some of the most seemingly-diverse companies don’t actually maximize people’s contributions the way they could. This isn’t about intent. It’s about time. In the whirling dervish that is today’s work environment, leaders sometimes don’t take the time to tap the full breadth of their people’s capabilities.

Embracing diversity means more than just recruiting and retaining a talented, multi-ethnic workforce, though that is a great start. Ask yourself these questions to find out if you’re fully utilizing the treasure that lies within all of your people:

Do I know what my people can do?

Do I know what stretch goals would broaden and motivate each person?

Do I know their career aspirations?

Do I know what really gets my people excited about coming to work?

Do I know what they love doing outside of work?

Each person’s passion and energy can be drawn upon to move your company to a new and exciting place. Make a commitment to learn more about the folks around you. Build upon their strengths. Give them opportunities to try new things.

Everyone knows that challenging work combined with just the right amount of support are the best teachers. You may be surprised by who moves to the head of the class.

Have a question or want some input from Humanergy about this topic? Contact us and we’ll get right back to you!