It is simply impossible to be a great leader without being at least a good listener. A leader needs to understand what makes their people tick. What motivates and demotivates them. Where the land mines are planted. What obstacles need to be removed for them to achieve the mission that matters. What inspires them to do what they didn’t believe was possible. This kind of listening requires two things- a broad constituency and unfiltered messages.
If you are a leader and find yourself having most of your conversations about the business with the same group of direct reports, your constituency is way too small. You run the risk of becoming isolated from what’s really happening in your business as information flows up through a narrow funnel. A funnel that is influenced by career aspirations, paranoia, or simply too much familiarity. Your connections need to be broader and deeper, lest you run the second risk- filtered information.
Did you ever watch how “survivorman” creates potable water near some bug infested cesspool in the middle of nowhere? He digs a hole near the cesspool and the water slowly seeps in, filtered through the dirts, rocks and sediment. What emerges is water that is very different from that in the source. Same thing happens in business, except that the filtering occurs through the “organization hierarchy.” The problem is, that the “water” has changed. Bad news for the leader who wants to know the real scoop.
You can avoid both of these pitfalls by creating a wide and deep network of contacts throughout the organization. Connect regularly, listen closely and ask the right questions. Then, and only then, will you have the right information to lead.
A great post. As I read through it, I was at times in total agreement…and at other times, I couldn’t disagree more. As far as being aligned with your goals and the goals of the organization – you nailed it. But I disagree that severing your digital connection is the solution. We didn’t have these tools for years and people still didn’t use their “cerebrum.” Meetings have always been the bane of an organization and thorn in employees’ butts. Digital devices should help eliminate the wasted time traveling to/from meetings. They can eliminate delays in getting information and answers. How much time is wasted planning those useless meetings when all it might take is an email, IM, or tweet? I don’t agree the problem is the device but how the device is used. If used to stay connected, it becomes a weapon to drives you crazy. If used to help achieve a personal or strategic goal, it can be a productivity tool.
Fantastic response. I do believe, however, that people engaged their brains more when they didn’t assume that an electronic proxy was doing it for them.