The Unknowing Ways Your Leadership Might be Diminishing Your Team
Is your leadership unknowingly diminishing the team?
Most CEOs correctly see their team’s diversity of ideas as an asset for innovating and growing their business while struggling to cultivate this coveted culture of openness. In a previous blog, we covered the characteristics of a diminishing vs multiplier leader. It is, however, impossible to label people and pure archetypes only exist in theory. In reality, most CEOs exhibit both multiplying and diminishing traits in their leadership style.
The little nuanced ways leaders can diminish employee input often goes unnoticed by the CEO but are still felt by the team. Many leaders inadvertently discourage open discourse with an “agree/disagree” response. When somebody offers a differing viewpoint, they simply agree or disagree, depending on how it aligns with their opinion. When you set yourself up as some arbiter of truth, people will fear your verdicts.
So, next time you feel compelled to express your disagreement with someone’s perspective, try an alternative responses, such as:
“Thanks for your response! Tell me more about that”
Even if their idea is not implemented, not only did you explore it in depth, you encouraged future employee engagement.
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
You can explore a good idea or expose a bad one by breaking it down in front of the team.
“Thank you, that is a perspective I have not considered and I am grateful you shared it with the team.”
If you disagree with their opinion, you can communicate in a way that encourages input in the future.
“What other alternate viewpoints are there for us to consider?”
If you wish for more employee input, you can always tell them.
Multiplier leaders are not born but made. Deploying these or similar responses create a totally different environment where people feel more comfortable offering up diverse perspectives without a hint of fear, judgment or reprisal. It will be inspiring, uplifting and people will weigh in more. Surprising to most, the flipside comment “I totally agree with that”, can also create some challenges.
Relieve yourself from the burden of weighing in on every comment as it’s not part of your job description. In fact, your role is to be a debate maker. Drawing out diverse opinions from your team and utilising collective intelligence for the best possible decision-making.
Besides, if you have all the answers yourself, why need a team at all? And, given that you have built (and continue to hone) a high-calibre leadership team, how well are you really cultivating alternate opinions and the team superpower of collective intelligence?
How well are you growing your business without the pain?
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