The Leader's Biggest Mistake

Recently I had a leadership revelation. Some of you will read this and say, "Duh! How has he just figured this out?" Others will read this and think they are not making the mistake, but in fact they are and they just don't know it. I hope the majority of us will read this and realize our own shortcomings in this area and be convicted to improve.

The biggest mistake any leader can make is not listening to their team. It sounds simple, but how many times have you seen a leader that cannot be told anything. Most times these types of leaders operate under the false pretense that if they spend too much time listening and not enough time speaking they will be regarded as weak. In fact, the opposite is true. Leaders who listen more than they speak will have stronger and more productive organizations. That is why James said, "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear and slow to speak." (James 1:19) If we are swift to hear we won't miss the incredible nuggets of wisdom that others have to offer.


If we refuse to listen, we make ourselves and our organizations susceptible to two major problems. The first is the most extreme and is only applicable to a small percentage of leaders. If we are poor enough listeners our subordinates will become so alienated from us that they will not speak up when their input is most needed. In my profession, this could literally mean the difference between life and death. The second problem is much more subtle, and is rarely observed by anyone except the people who are not being heard. If a culture is established where people's input is routinely disregarded, they will begin to withhold their suggestions. The result is an exponential decreases in the effectiveness of the organization. Truly great organizations achieve success as a result of a collaborative environment where ideas flow freely and people are heard. Solomon knew this when he wrote, "Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established." (Proverbs 15:22) If the leader doesn't listen, ideas will not flow, and if ideas do not flow, the organization will loose its competitive edge because it will not be able to establish and execute a solid, effective plan. Worse yet, because people know that their ideas aren't valued by their leader, they will begin to adopt the view that their efforts are not valued by their leader either. This is the most damaging effect of not listening because the quality of an individual's work will decline until it reaches some lower baseline level. In most cases, this lower level is "just enough to not get fired."

What makes a failure to listen so destructive is that most leaders who don't listen don't even know it. I have spoken with several leaders who publicly preach that their people are their most important resource, but they fail to maximize the usefulness of that resource because they do not list listen. So how do you know if you are not a listener? You need to take a hard look inside and ask yourself two questions:


1. Do I listen at least twice as much as I talk?


2. When I do listen, am I really listening, or am I just hearing what others say?


If the answer is no to the first question, chances are you're not getting everything you can out of your team. Intentionally try to ask more questions instead of making statements. The second question is much more difficult to answer. In his book Integrity, Dr. Henry Cloud discusses this question at length, but I'll try to give some quick tips here. If you tend to give a quick response to the concern of an individual, chances are you're not really listening. This is because, in order for someone to feel heard, they require a certain degree of empathy from the listener. Many times when we come right back with a quick response to a person's concern they do not feel that we have validated their concern. It is important to note that you do not have to agree with a person to validate their opinion, you merely have to empathize with that person. Another more obvious indicator that you are not really listening is if you do not regard this person's input as useful or important. It is easy for leaders to discount input from others because of a person's lack of experience, perceived intelligence, station in life, etc. This is a mistake. We were all created in the image of God and are therefore of extreme value and worth. As leaders we must recognize this truth and embrace it.

If we can learn to listen to our people, the effectiveness of our organization will increase exponentially. Our people will feel that they matter to the organization and that their input is valued. This will produce the feeling that their work is important. They will then begin to approach their work in a more creative manner coming up with better ways to do their job. They will work better together, and approach their work with more zeal. All of these results can be obtained by creating a culture of listening. I once again encourage you to heed James' advice "be slow to speak and quick to listen." Then sit back and be amazed what your team accomplishes.