listening is a leadership move
When you ask someone for their perspective, what are you listening for?
Are you listening for confirmation?
For the “real” problem to solve?
For the part you can explain away?
Or for what they see?
Most of us have to work at this. We are conditioned to solve, explain, or defend, especially when the input challenges our assumptions.
Listening for what someone sees can change the quality of the conversation.
The person sharing knows they are being invited to say what they see, not to argue a case or land on the winning side of a decision.
The person listening gets to do just that, listen. No multitasking. No simultaneously managing the conversation and constructing a response. Just taking in what is being said.
One way to make that easier is to be explicit about what the conversation is for:
“I’m not making a decision in this conversation. I’m listening to understand different perspectives so we can make a more informed decision.”
When the conversation ends, recap what you heard and thank the person for sharing it. That closing matters. It tells people their input landed, and makes it more likely they will share honestly the next time.
ALIGN is a method I use to help organizations bring strategy, culture, and execution into clearer relationship with one another.
The five practices are Absorb | Legitimize | Integrate | Grow | Nurture.
This post focuses on Absorb, listening closely enough to understand current reality before deciding what comes next.
Absorb means taking in what is being said as a data point. Each perspective reflects the experience, role, and vantage point of the person offering it. Cumulatively, a variety of perspectives helps create a fuller, more accurate picture.
The ALIGNMENT Snapshot is a ten-minute reflection tool that helps leaders see where strategy, culture, and execution are working together, and where closer attention is needed.
The first question in the Snapshot focuses on how well an organization creates formal and informal opportunities for people to share their thinking, provide honest input, and help leaders understand what is really happening.