I am going to have to disagree with you on this issue. I agree that the diversity of a team is important. The reasons I shared for why I think Simon is a good model has little to do with "what" he does or "who" he is and more to do with the way in which he does his job. I want to share my list again becuase I don't think it has much to do with the diversity of the team.
- He is passionate about his work.
- He's honest and he speaks his mind.
- He has his own opinons and isn't swayed by pressure to say the popular thing.
- He doesn't mince words.
- He has fun at work.
- He doesn't appologize for who he is.
- He is good at what he does.
You can have a very compelling and functional team who demonstrates these behaviors while at the same time being diverse and varied in their experiences and talents. Simon stands out in his situation because he happens to sit next to a borderline incompetent judge, although the measuring stick in entertainment is admittedly very different than in business.
Perhpas restating my position would help. I would take a whole company full of people who demonstrate the behaviors that I believe makes Simon stand out (my list above), not a whole company full of Simons.
Peace.
Jason