“Diversity is our Strength" - More Than Just a Tagline
Our Flourish merch tagline for this year is “Diversity is our Strength." (And yes, you can purchase our caps, Diversity tees, and Flourish mugs in our Flourish market!)
Little did we know that as we went to print, this quote from the current administration's Defense Secretary would make headlines:
"I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is 'our diversity is our strength.'" — Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary
Really? We must ask: what's the context? His fuller statement continues:
"I think our strength is our unity. Our strength is our shared purpose. Regardless of our background, regardless of how we grew up, regardless of our gender, regardless of our race, in this department, we will treat everyone equally. We will treat everyone with fairness. We will treat everyone with respect, and we will judge you as an individual by your merit and by your commitment to the team and the mission. That's how it has been. That's how it will be."
If you've been around Flourish for any time at all, you understand that a deeper understanding of diversity moves well beyond the "I don't see color" narrative that Hegseth essentially promotes. We offer these counterpoints to enhance your learning and equip you to share with others:
1. Unity and Diversity Are Complementary, Not Contradictory
The statement creates a false dichotomy. Diversity and unity aren't opposing forces—they can and should be complementary. Effective teamwork depends on bringing together different perspectives while maintaining cohesion around shared goals.
2. Diversity Provides Strategic Advantages
While we're not military experts, data consistently shows that diversity provides tactical advantages. Different cultural backgrounds, language skills, and perspectives enable teams to:
Better understand diverse environments
Develop more creative approaches to complex problems
Connect with broader populations
Anticipate different thinking patterns and strategies
History demonstrates this advantage. During WWII, the Navajo Code Talkers provided unbreakable communications because of their unique cultural and linguistic background. This diversity wasn't incidental to success—it was essential.
3. Diversity Strengthens Unity When Properly Leveraged
Teams with diverse backgrounds but strong common values often develop deeper bonds precisely because members must overcome differences and find common ground. This creates resilience and adaptability.
4. "Merit" Is Enhanced by Diversity
Different backgrounds bring different talents, creating a broader skill set within teams and expanding the definition of merit beyond traditional metrics. Research consistently shows diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones when solving complex problems.
Indeed, genuine strength comes from harnessing diversity to achieve unity of purpose, rather than enforcing uniformity.
We welcome your input on these topics and how we can equip you for being an everyday ally. We'll be migrating this newsletter to Substack in the coming weeks with access to the comments section.
