When Leadership Matters Vol 2 2025 New - Flipbook - Page 30
Robert Britten
opportunities to foster change. This growth can add great
value to the leader who recognizes that this type of change
is necessary and seeks ways to expand mentorship and
sponsorship in creating pathways for historically
underrepresented individuals to thrive.
Hiring for comfort, rather than selecting the best
candidate based on qualifications and merit, can have
significant implications on team dynamics. When leaders
prioritize familiarity and conformity over diversity of
thought and skills, it can hinder team performance and
growth. We often lean into comfort politics and call it merit
based hiring.
Hiring for comfort often leads to a lack of quality and
distinction within a team. When most team members share
similar backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, it can
sometimes limit the range of ideas and solutions that can
be generated. Homogenous teams that hire for comfort
may become susceptible to groupthink, where team
members avoid challenging ideas or questioning decisions
to maintain harmony, leading to poor decision-making and
missed opportunities for innovation. This is especially
problematic among executive leadership teams. When
