Episode description
Cognitive diversity isn’t spoken about enough in the DEI world.
Conversations I’ve had over the past few weeks made me reflect on my early experiences as a new lawyer. When I started out in law school surrounded by the people who would become my colleagues for at least the next 2 years, I was convinced I’d found my people. I belonged. And there can be no better feeling, particularly in an industry known for its long hours – we were going to be spending a whole lot of time together.
When I first realised I felt this way because we were all thought in the same way the joy of belonging outdid any voices in my head that would speculate over whether this was problematic.
Today, we are much more aware of hiring for culture add, rather than culture fit. But a lack of cognitive diversity – an environment where teams all think and operate in one way, and who suppress alternative thoughts for fear of losing that sense of belonging, harms not only inclusion, but an organisation’s ability to survive disruption.
I felt compelled to share one of my law school stories after recognising that law firms which are genuinely invested in adopting an innovative future-focused mindset, have a blind spot when it comes to cognitive diversity.
If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you.
If this really doesn’t resonate with you, I’d also love to hear from you.
If you are one of those lawyers who does think or operate differently but rarely use that voice at work for fear of losing your perceived sense of belonging, I’d love to hear from you.