When thinking of leadership, one often imagines a confident man or woman in charge, barking orders and getting things done. Indeed, a part of leadership is giving orders, driving strategies, and ensuring that your organization executes its strategic goals. However, a huge part of becoming an effective leader is mastering the art of "listening."
The Bible refers to wise people who could speak slowly and quickly listen. Stoicism also emphasizes the art of listening and not having to have an opinion about everything. So why is listening so critical to become a great leader?
It's simple. When you listen, you are not talking. You are gathering information, absorbing other people's opinions about critical business problems, letting others express their views, and allowing people, especially your direct reports, the right to be heard. Is it simple? But surprisingly, it is not.
I have seen many people in leadership positions fail the "listening" test. They believe they have all the answers, are wedded to a particular strategy, and are unwilling to listen to other opinions. That kind of behavior is short-sided and not constructive. Let me explain why that is.
Take the current state of our politics. Lately, I have found fertile ground in politics regarding leadership lessons on what not to do. I won't comment on that, as this is not a political action piece. But if you see the talking heads on TV, you will think the Democrats won the election. A few are reflective and question their own party's direction. But most are not. They are not listening. They are talking. They cannot contemplate that their party took the wrong direction despite their defeat in the election. That shows poor leadership.
The late General Colin Powell had one of my favorite sayings - "Don't let your ego get so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it." I love this. Powell was a great leader. He understood the value, the power, of listening. People in leadership positions often have their egos so close to their positions that they are unwilling to listen to divergent opinions that go against their firmly held beliefs. Not listening means they are not getting the whole story. They are not getting all the information for them to make the right business decisions.
I learned, early in my leadership journey, the wisdom of listening.
I do not have all the answers. If you are doing it right in leadership, you bring onboard leaders and subject matter experts who know more than you do about your lines of business. When I was at Microsoft, I took a long time when I took over as CSO to find the best security talent there was. I had great people driving my lines of business, be it EP, Investigations, Technology, Crisis Management, International Ops, Vendor Compliance, Intelligence, etc.
These men and women drove Microsoft Global Security's day-to-day operations. When dealing with critical business issues, I relied upon my experts to help me make the best decision I could for the betterment of our organization. Sometimes, despite what I was hearing, I felt that my position was the way to go. And that is fine, as long as I genuinely listened to what my team had to say first.
Powell's statement was always in my mind when I was CSO and even when I ran operations at the CIA. I had to keep my ego in check. (Those who know me know I have a reasonably healthy ego.) I had to listen. I had to keep my mouth shut. And guess what, sports fans, it isn't that hard, and it is a great morale builder.
Nothing kills morale more than when employees feel they are not being heard and that their managers are giving lip service to their opinions. Please make sure this never happens on your watch. I don't care how right you think you are or how busy you are. A sign of a confident, mature, and introspective leader is the ability to keep your mouth shut and listen.
So, the next time you have the urge to discount an opinion from one of your people - don't!
Be a great leader and listen. Your people know more than you think they do. After all, that is why they are working for you. Don't be like politicians, both on the left and right, who never listen.
