Colleague: Did you watch Mirabai Chanus amazing performance? A Silver medal for India on the
first day of the Olympics!
Ajay: Of course! What a proud moment for a billion people! I have not missed a single
Olympics ever since we got a cable connection at home!
Coll: Really?
Ajay: Of course! Its a potpourri of cultures, isnt it? Olympics holds a master class in
diversity for every business person.
Coll: Im all for equal opportunity. But how does diversity help businesses grow?
Ajay: In multiple ways. With a diverse workforce comes diverse approaches, ideas,
perspectives and thought processes. You are better equipped with multiple solutions and
approaches for the same problem that way and have the liberty to choose the best from an
array of options. That helps to keep your workplace dynamic and agile.
Coll: You are right.
Ajay: It shouldnt be restricted to the workforce alone. I would say diversity should reflect in
the leadership also.
Coll: Have you had any experiences during your career where diversity helped?
Ajay: Countless! Imagine you are thinking of expanding to new geography that is totally
alien to you. Its going to be a tough task unless
Coll: You have people who are from those regions and can give you great insights about
the market.
Ajay: You got the drift.
Coll: Wow! That would go a long way in ironing out so many hurdles and makes the task at
hand so much easier!
Ajay: Exactly. Umpteen situations like that. A diverse workforce just opens up your business
to a million possibilities. Now if you will excuse me, I need to leave to cheer for Mary Kom.