The Teachable Leader
Remaining Teachable - Part 3
In my first management role, I led a small team of financial analysts responsible for financial planning, forecasting, performance reporting, financial analysis — all the usual things — for a large corporate division.
At one point, we needed to change the methodology for allocating costs to different product lines. We were roughing out a process on a whiteboard, and we came across an issue – I no longer remember what it was – where we had a difference of opinion. I felt I saw this issue very clearly and made what I thought was an unassailable argument.
After I finished, an analyst named Ben, a very smart, capable guy who was older than I was, shook his head and said, “You’re a great over-simplifier.” I’m not sure what kind of look I gave him, but he quickly added, “I mean you’re really good at it.” He went on to say that he couldn’t find any holes in my argument – but he still thought I was wrong.
We went ahead and implemented the methodology that I preferred. And it turned out that I was wrong. There was an aspect of the process that I hadn’t fully taken into account, and it upended my logic.
This was a revelation to me. I had assumed that winning the argument meant I was right. After all, we’re working together to bring reason and logic to bear on problems. My reasoning and logic skills were strong, and I could articulate them well. But reasoning must be based on the relevant facts. Every member of that team had specific knowledge that I lacked. If in my drive to win an argument, a crucial fact failed to surface, I would lead my team straight into a ditch.
Ben had done me a favor. Most of the time, when a leader declares his view in uncompromising terms, his subordinates accept it silently, even if they know he is wrong. There is risk in challenging your boss; he or she has power over you. When the leader declares his view at the beginning of the discussion, he raises the stakes for presenting different views. Many people will not take the risk of disagreeing.
This is a hard issue for many leaders. We are accustomed to making decisions with incomplete information – and the information available is virtually always incomplete. It is often important to decide quickly. Most leaders are ok with that; we like making decisions. There is a reason that the term ‘decision-maker’ is a synonym for ‘leader.’ Some people seem wired for it. Patiently listening means processing a fair amount of irrelevant or unimportant information along with the relevant and important; it can require coaxing a response from the quietest, least confident introvert on your team.
And yet, your goal as a leader is to achieve successful results, however defined, for the work you are responsible for. Your ability to draw people out – to get the information they have that you don’t, and that may be crucial to a good decision – is one of the most important leadership skills.
James tells us, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak” (James 1:19). This is much different than simply curbing your impatience to speak while the other person finishes his sentence. If we’re wise, we’re eager to hear what others have to say – we prize the information we receive more highly than we enjoy hearing ourselves talk. We are listening to understand what the other person sees and thinks, not simply listening so we can fire back with our own thoughts.
Most leaders are less accessible than they think. They underestimate the way that their positional power inhibits their subordinates’ willingness to say what they think. Your team is well aware of the usual fate of messengers who bring bad news. If you receive differing opinions with folded arms and a scowl, that is not what openness looks like.
Self-confidence is a common trait among leaders. Many were drawn toward leadership because it comes naturally to them, and their self-confidence has been reinforced by their success. Ironically, the self-confidence that enables a leader to make decisions creates obstacles to effectiveness that we often fail to see. As I pondered my exchange with Ben, I came to see how overbearing and how dominant I could be, and I realized the vulnerability I was creating if vital information remained locked away from my sight.
To make good decisions, we need to be open-minded seekers after truth, willing to set aside views of our own that the truth reveals to be misleading or inadequate. A good leader makes good decisions, and the test is how closely the decisions approximate the truth, not whether they vindicate our intelligence or demonstrate our power. This is a more severe test than we usually realize.
Do you want to know the truth – or not? If you do, work to reflect that motive in the way you manage your thinking, and in the way you manage your interactions with others. Every detail is important, whether body language or tone of voice or where and how you sit (are you behind a desk? Is your chair higher than theirs?) The reason is that people will be trying to discern whether your display of openness is real, or whether they are putting themselves at risk.
Striving to demonstrate openness prompts us to remember to be open; to withhold judgment until the important facts are in hand; and until the facts have been brought to bear on your assumptions and preconceptions.
I’ve heard many leaders boast of their “open door policy.” That’s easy. Do you have an open mind policy? Do people see it when they look at you?
Great ideas. During the last several years while I was still working, instead of helping leaders develop the actual skills and behaviors they needed for the long term, I found myself squeezed into helping them learn how to “manage up” and to develop “political savvy”. They needed to learn how to do these things to get to the point where they could utilize the very collaborative skills you are referencing. Often they felt compelled to consolidate decision making around themselves rather than fully engaging their team. The wisest “two up” and “three up” leaders create the kind of environment that frees the leaders under them to be agents of collaboration.
Love this! Leaders need to be approachable with their thoughts and ideas. This can be applied to interpersonal relationships as well...listen well, be open-minded - willing to change mind then speak.