Biotech leaders, don’t forget to recruit your “counterbalances” into your team.

In biotech, we talk a lot about “complementary skills”, i.e. science vs business, bio vs tech, clinical vs regulatory vs commercial etc. That’s only one aspect of diversity in team building.

There’s another aspect that’s usually overlooked: the diversity of approach/thinking. For example…

If you’re a fast decision-maker, you need someone who likes to mull things over.

If you’re all about the big picture, you need someone who’s all about the details.

If you are the initiator, you need someone who likes to monitor stuff and ensure that things get completed.

Here are some more examples:

• confident vs cautious

• persistent vs pivot-open

• emotional vs unemotional

• insight-driven vs data-driven

Having counterbalances next to you can be uncomfortable or frustrating at times.

You’ll drive each other nuts and fight a lot but… you are setting out for an Odyssey… can you survive without this diversity of “being” in your crew?

You’ll say… with so much fight… we’re going to sink our boat ourselves! No.

If you all share the same vision for the company and are as committed and passionate about the impact you want to create for patients, not only will you be fine but you’ll have even more room for productive fight!

Then you’ll say… if I wait until I build this perfectly diverse team, I’ll probably never leave the port…

Well, you have to build the best team possible. You’re not any company. You’re selecting the crew for a 15-20 year stormy journey. It’s all about the crew…

[Photo: Achilles pays Nestor the price of wisdom, Iliad, Homer. The Achaean leaders gathered to discuss whether or not to abandon the siege of Troy and sail back to Greece. During this meeting, the wise Nestor urges the Achaeans to continue the war, arguing that they have come too far to give up now. He also suggests that they send ambassadors to Achilles, who has been sulking in his tent, to try to persuade him to rejoin the battle. Achilles is a brave and formidable warrior whereas Nestor is a wise and diplomatic mediator…]