Is Diversity really necessary? Diversity is more than just hiring people of different ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs, and social conditions. It’s more than saying you have friends who are different than you are. Just because you attend a couple of diversity classes and check off “diversity” on your performance development plan, doesn’t mean you “get it.”

I am concerned that many leaders perceive diversity as some twenty-first century reincarnation of affirmative action and push it to the back burner. Alvelyn Sanders of the Atlanta Tribune points out that hiring employees who are African American, Hispanic, or Asian, or hiring someone who is Muslim, in and of itself, does not create a diverse workforce.

Diversity means any quality that differentiates people or groups. Senior executives and managers who “get it” understand that leveraging diversity goes way beyond having a multicultural workforce. They value the brilliance of multicultural suppliers, customers, and even shareholders. They appreciate people who “push back” and ask the tough questions.

They celebrate people who express opinions that are different from the masses because their worldview is filtered through unique cultural, social, and educational lenses. Leaders who invite this type of feedback will always have a 360-degree perspective on any given issue and will seek to do business with diverse suppliers and to target new market segments.

Is it really that important to leverage the diversity that exists all around you? According to Steven Reinemund, former Chairman & CEO of PepsiCo, “Diversity management is the difference between staying relevant and vital and growing, or becoming stagnant, easily replaced and quickly left behind.” And consider this: The Corporate Leadership Council recently surveyed 50,000 employees from 59 organizations in 10 industries and 27 countries on the subject of employee engagement. The results revealed that the number one characteristic that drives employees’ discretionary effort is leadership’s commitment to diversity.

I invite you to be a life-long learner and open your eyes to the changing world around you. If everyone in your circle looks like you, do you really have a grasp on diversity or will you keep your blinders on? I am just asking the question. Choose to be a participator instead of a spectator. Brilliance is all around you – leverage it!