A couple weeks ago, I experienced both the high (I was upgraded – YES!) and the somewhat low (I had a window seat – UGH!) of business travel during a trip from San Francisco to Dallas.

As we took off, I looked out the window and couldn’t help but notice the incredible beauty of the San Francisco skyline and the Bay.

It was a wonderful day to travel as the entire trip seemed like nothing but blue sky and beauty. I was so moved by the incredible views below me that I’m pretty sure I just looked out the window the entire 3 ½ hours and marveled at the incredible beauty of God’s creation – our country.

I was struck by the fact that even in the middle of summer, one could see the beauty of snow-capped mountains, which gave way to a beautiful desert and then one of the incredible wonders of the world – the Grand Canyon.

Past the Grand Canyon were the rounded, artistic markers of the plains, which stretched beyond the capture of my phone’s camera.

And then I was home – Dallas, where I love to live.

As the landing gear touched down, I began to think about the beauty of each of the incredible parts of the country that I had a chance to gaze upon from 34,000 feet. Each possessed singular beautiful but together the diversity and specialness created a synergy that I have no doubt God planned when he built our incredible country.

And then I thought about how this creation of beauty, of great differences being displayed, should be reflected in the businesses we run and the lives we lead.

You see, each of the areas I viewed were absolutely stunning in and of themselves but together the strength and diversity yielded divine beauty.

I believe the same is true in business and in our personal lives. 

I have read articles and had colleagues in my career who believed in only hiring a certain type of individual for opportunities; however, in my mind, while there are certainly remarkable aspects about any “type” of individual that one may hire, it’s the collective diversity of business and personal experience that is more often than not the foundation of a successful team.

For I believe it is our differences and the respectful discussion (not debate) of those differences that helps us grow as business leaders, and most importantly, as fellow human beings.

As such, I firmly believe that organizations and society in general should not focus on a specific day, month, or specific period of time to drive inclusiveness but rather should have as one of their core missions the inclusion of all including ethnic origin, gender, sexual preference, religious belief, political affiliation, etc.

In doing so, I have no doubt that we will build better and stronger organizations.

More importantly, we will build a better world – for us, our children, our grandchildren and the generations to come.

And that my friends, is THE most important mission of all.

I hope you all have a safe, successful, and inclusive week!