I recently spent time with an incredible company and got to talk to their CEO for a while. He was this incredibly unassuming guy who was very approachable but at the same time was undeniably in charge of the place. He was quick to laugh and fun to be around. Basically, the kind of leader everyone searches for.
We got on the topic of listening to your people. He told me how he had been slow at first to listen to his team when he first started the company because he was afraid of not appearing as the authority on everything. He initially ran all the departments with micromanagement and even stifled the creativity of his teams.
A few years back, he was about to make a major decision about the direction of the company's expansion. He told his management team exactly what he planned to do and expected them to just all fall in line and applaud his genius. But while most of the group nodded and smiled, one team member said nothing, and it really bothered him.
After the meeting was over, he called the quiet manager into a private meeting and asked if there was a problem. The manager reluctantly began to share his concerns about the project. At first, the CEO started getting upset and building a defense against every objection, but then he started to actually listen to what was being said. He shut down his ego and looked at it from the new perspective.
Ultimately, that manager's concerns were valid ones the CEO hadn't considered, and changing the plan actually saved the company almost $100k. But if the boss had been stubborn and unrelenting in his own plans, it could have been disastrous. It was a very valuable lesson he learned and has affected his relationship with his team ever since. Now he has an open door policy that has, surprisingly enough, never been abused. People come with ideas and concerns and he listens, even if he doesn't always follow their advice.
Criticism of our ideas is never fun. Sometimes it can be downright devastating. But I'm sure there are a few decisions you look back on in your life and wish you could have done differently if only someone had warned you (or maybe they did and you ignored them...been there and done that myself). None of us are perfect.
Do you allow people the freedom to help you restructure ideas? Can you give your team direction but accept it if they suggest changes? I'm not talking about opening the door to a "beat down the boss" meeting, but allowing the exchange of valid points. Believe it or not, even though this sounds dangerous you just might find that the support of valid ideas actually helps weed out folks from just throwing out frivolous ones.
You never know who might have the next massive money-saving idea for your company. The question is: are you the kind of boss whom they'd feel comfortable bringing it to?
Never be afraid to listen! Even if it's not a good idea, you'll make that employee feel valued and that builds company loyalty. Loyalty leads to longevity, which leads to stability. For the good of your organization, leave your ego at the door.
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