Dear Bob ...Regarding "Diverse views," (Keep the Joint Running, 5/19/2008), good message. There is even more value in having diverse views. Imagine the enormous talent and contribution potential lost from narrowing the pool of talent applied to tough challenges through such behavior. My awakening occurred when women were not deemed to be full members of the workforce. I assigned an intern to a key task because s Dear Bob …Regarding “Diverse views,” (Keep the Joint Running, 5/19/2008), good message. There is even more value in having diverse views. Imagine the enormous talent and contribution potential lost from narrowing the pool of talent applied to tough challenges through such behavior. My awakening occurred when women were not deemed to be full members of the workforce. I assigned an intern to a key task because she seemed to be the smartest person available. The boss thought it was a mistake. Huge contribution. Breakthrough stuff. I learned a lot about prejudice and its downside. – DelegaterDear Delegater …No question. What’s often ignored in these discussions, though, is that for ambitious people, competition with colleagues is a more important consideration than competition with other companies in the same business. Discrimination might be bad for business. Eliminating competitors is, nastily enough, often helpful in a career, especially for those whose actual talents are on the mediocre side.If someone of less than exemplary talent, with ethics to match, can cut out half the workforce through a few derogatory generalizations, it might be considered a good career move. – Bob Technology Industry