It’s the old adage that is most repeated but the least understood.

In the workplace, the word diversity is a way for companies to openly brag about how progressive their culture is. Internally, people seem to think use the term “diversity hire” as a way to passive-aggressive way to speak about other people’s abilities. It’s a strange world that we live in, where the effort to create a diverse workplace results in people being singled out, or cliques forming. Organisations have been forced to take long, hard looks at themselves in an effort to be a part of the change we are seeing in the workplace. Though the luddite employees may not realise, Diversity is an incredibly important part of not just an organisation, but for society as a whole.

The purity in that sentence comes from the fact that Lombardi believed that the most talented person to play football most likely had never played football, because for one reason or another they were never presented the opportunity to do so. The same may be said for hiring a diverse range of people.

One of the most exciting basketballers at the moment is a man known as Isaiah Thomas. He is almost a foot shorter than the average basketball player. Standing at 5’9”, Thomas is known for his leadership skills, incredible shooting ability and game savvy, but if the NBA had placed a height restriction for players, they would never have discovered the talent he is.

The word diversity has become politically charged in recent years. Without touching on how this is the case too much, it seems to have become synonymous with the feminist movement and equal employment opportunities for people who have migrated to the country. Though these are very important aspects of diversity, they aren’t the only ways that diversity can manifest.

Talent diversity is an emerging trend in HR management lately. Employers are now seeing the benefits of having people who have worked in different places, or have taken the long road in their career to get to the same point. This type of diversity yields a certain ‘fresh” approach to the workplace.

Diversity is important because it has to be done for the right reasons. If you hire someone just because your company has created a new policy around the matter, you will find mixed results at best.

For diversity to be done well, you need to understand why it is done. Diversity is about finding new sources of talent, and new ways of doing things. It just so happens that quite often this means hiring more women in the workplace, or hiring a diverse range of ethnicities.

Diversity is an outcome, not a goal. The only goal is in challenging yourself, and finding new talent sources. Diversity takes care of itself after that.