Complexity Requires Active Listening
Picture yourself on a bike….
Now imagine yourself navigating a bustling crowded city street. The complexity of the traffic is swirling all around you. There are pedestrians, benches, strollers, buskers, vehicles and trains all moving, or not moving, at different speeds and from different directions.
Sometimes work can feel like that…..
Now, imagine navigating that complexity without one of your senses; without your ability to hear.
What happens?
Active listening is one way the most effective leaders will be able to capitalize on developing the potential in people and processes as workplaces and families adjust to the new post-Covid realities.
Developing potential requires conversation. Think of how many meetings there are to accomplish anything of significance …..
The most skilled bikers use all of their senses, their whole body, to become one with the bike, and navigate obstacles masterfully. They are alert and feel the environment. This takes practice!
Effective leaders work to do the same by understanding differing perspectives, and seeing the value of a collaborative effort. Collaboration is about push and pull, give and take, speaking and listening.
Do not expect people in leadership roles above you to understand what you do not communicate, to blast a clear path and part the crowd for you. Today is your day to figure out how you will steer through the complexity. Listening and speaking are both essential.
Listening is not an invitation to be passive.
Tragically, many of us who are in leadership roles have not developed active listening skills. Push and pull is vulnerable. It can be uncomfortable. It may take us out of the role of expert that has served us in getting to the place where we are.
There are times when, as a leader, our identity is so wrapped up in what looks like success to the outside. There is fear of disagreements, a fear of outliers and what dissenting voices might communicate and how that might appear to others. When we lead this way we want those who follow to fall in line, to be obedient to our direction without diverging.
Which sense first goes off-line for you when you are afraid?
What is lost?
Each person on a team has their maximum impact when they feel seen, heard and understood. There is value in differing perspectives that is lost if we do not have systems and processes that are built for hearing. When command and control practices dictate projects and conversations, diversity of thought is lost, interpersonal connection is diminished and overall job satisfaction is reduced. Our most incredible asset, our people, will leave.
Is there a solution?
Leaders must spend a reasonable amount of time to understand a situation from numerous data points. Listening is how we do that.
As you imagine biking through the city, the sound of the wind, the tap of footsteps and the purr of a motor all help to navigate complexity. How might that be like your most significant leadership challenge today?
How can you listen to the complexity of your team, your family, your own personal narrative?
Are you taking the time and space that is necessary for your organizational success by listening to people who see the world from a different perspective?
How might you create a new skill?
What would a new system for a steady feedback loop look like and sound like?
What questions will invite honesty and engagement?
What will you do with what you learn?
Are you interested in managing complexity with more awareness? Let’s set up a conversation.
I’m here to listen.