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Our secret to innovation? We Seek the Difference! At Zalando, we know that great ideas don't come from groupthink. They come from challenging assumptions, and bringing diverse voices and people to the table! ‘Seek the Difference’ isn't just a mindset; it's an important part of our culture and a powerful catalyst for innovation. We actively pursue differences in thought, perspective, gender, and background because doing so uncovers critical gaps in our thinking and leads to better decisions and more impactful outcomes for customers, partners and our business. I recently had the pleasure of joining our Women in Finance Network (WiFi) for a conversation on this exact topic. I shared my personal perspective on the necessity of 'Seeking the Difference' to build stronger teams and to maximize our impact. A key takeaway? Strong business engagement naturally generates deep conviction and varied perspectives, which are valuable assets when unified by a common goal. Our opportunity is to harness this diverse energy for truth seeking debates and better decisions. Success requires leaders and teams to proactively integrate diverse people and viewpoints and commit to creating a safe space and resolving potential differences and conflicts openly. Doing this does not only enable better decisions, but also builds stronger commitment and drives faster execution, leading to more business impact. As leaders, we have an opportunity and an obligation to lead by example to build and sustain a thriving and inclusive environment. A big thank you to the WiFi Core Team for inviting me to share my thoughts on this important topic - especially Andrea Frese and Vanessa Hildebrandt for organising and hosting the event - as well as to the WiFi Core members: María Carrasco López-Jurado, Verena Petermann, Zuzana Babiakova and Stephanny Hartmann Cortés Hartmann. Finally, thank you to all the participants for making this a great event. #ZalandoWomeninFinance #InsideZalando #ZalandoERGs