with Auren Hoffman
May 18, 1997

the real deal about Corporate Diversity did George Washington have it right? by Auren Hoffman Corporate diversity is extremely important. A company can only go so far without new or divergent ideas coming from within. George Washington was one of the first people to understand this. He surrounded himself with a diverse group of advisors so he could pool their knowledge and experiences together to make the best decision. By utilizing this strategy, Washington was able to make wise decisions that have made the U.S. a great country. Washington's two main advisors, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, had severely opposite views. These men, bitter enemies until Hamilton's death, would debate in front of Washington for hours until the President could make a decision about a certain policy or issue. Though Washington ultimately adopted most of Hamilton's ideas and few of Jefferson's plans, the two advisors had a profound effect on policy and decision making. Like Washington, a good corporate chief executive should surround himself or herself with people who have divergent views, live different lifestyles, and possess diverse backgrounds. This strategy is especially important in today's fast changing business world where new ideas are essential and opening new markets must be explored. Unfortunately, many people have a negative reaction to the word "diversity." "Diversity" does not just mean different races. "Diversity" means: Different Backgrounds - like race, color, religion, economic status, geography, education, family life, ethnic status, etc. Diverse Lifestyles - like marital status, sexual orientation, those who party and those who do not, hobbies, etc. Divergent Views - like political affiliation, economic philosophy, social philosophy, area of knowledge, etc. George Bush is a good counter-example. Almost all his domestic advisors, like Darwin and Brady, had the same views and backgrounds. This lead to a very misguided domestic policy and ultimately to Clinton's election. Bush's inner domestic circle was tight and rigid and excluded people like Jack Kemp who had different and more viable views. In fact, Bush's inner domestic advisors possessed the classic symptoms of "groupthink," where a group comes to a conclusion on a major issue without challenging its assumptions. This does not mean, however, that diversity should come at the expense of talent or intelligence. On the contrary, diversity should act as a tool to expand knowledge and generate ideas. Both Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were very intelligent men and nobody has ever claimed that Washington compromised his cabinet to achieve diversity. A President of a large corporation, must hire a diverse group of high-level executives to succeed in today's business world.

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