Monsters University catches diversity perfectly

There is a great scene in Monsters University when the protagonists go to spy on Monsters Inc. Mike Wazowski, who is entirely at the center of this story, asks the question “Can anyone tell me what all great scarers have in common?”

The rest of the protagonists look down on the “scare floor” and see an array of monsters that come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and attributes. No two are alike. About the same time the audiences realizes it someone says “No.”

Mike Wazowski triumphantly says “Exactly!”

Read my writings long enough and you’ll see I’m a big fan of diversity. I’ve seen teams where their idea of a good team dynamic is everyone is essentially the same. That may sound good on paper, but never quite works as well in practice.

In the world of knowledge workers, diversity is important. There are so many ways to approach complex problems that sometimes you need a different perspective. Not just having someone else look at the problem, but having someone who thinks differently than you do.

I look back on all of the great software developers, engineers, and architects I’ve worked with or managed and ask me to tell you what makes them special, other than their intelligence very few of them will share common traits.

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Tagged with: Business, Disney, Diversity, Hiring, management, Monsters Inc., Monsters University, Pixar
Posted in Business, Managing Employees