273 Frans Johansson: Diversity Is Your Competitive Advantage

In 15th century Florence, the Medici family was well-known for patronizing great artists, scientists, engineers, and writers. This investment in cross-disciplinary thinking planted the seeds of the Renaissance, a time of extraordinary growth and enlightenment in Europe.

Today, we have other words for this practice: Diversity & Inclusion. Author, speaker, and consultant Frans Johansson wrote "The Medici Effect," about how expanding your "surface area" of perspectives can help companies, families, governments, and any organization benefit from the alchemy of diversity. And he has the stories and data to prove it.

Frans' book was originally published in 2004, and has exploded in popularity as D&I and social justice conversations move to the front of our culture. In this fascinating conversation, Frans and Whitney unpack the philosophy of intersectional diversity, and focus on very practical ways to activate it in your organization.