Top Leadership Skills Blog

Morgan sat staring out the window as he waited to meet with the Vice President. His project had been a complete failure. Millions of dollars were lost. Company and individual reputations were smashed. People were leaving for other jobs.

Morgan wished he could blame someone else. Unfortunately, he is not likely to find the real culprit until he is willing to look in the mirror. If Morgan could look openly at the last year, the causes of the fiasco would be apparent.

At the beginning of the project, several team members brought up concerns. Morgan called them overly pessimistic and declared full steam ahead. A few weeks later, Sally came to Morgan to point out a flaw in the design. Morgan brushed it off, saying that it could fixed later during debugging.

After four weeks, another problem became evident and the team had to elect someone to tell Morgan. Lance {lost|drew the short straw} and had the unfortunate job of sharing the bad news. Morgan was angry about Lance's warnings and told the team that this will happen if we all pitch in and shut up.

After that incident, no further concerns were brought to Morgan. Team and one-on-one meetings went smoothly and easily. When Morgan requested input, everyone said the project was fine. The project seemed to be on track for success. At least until the customers announced they were cancelling all future orders this week.

If Morgan could use a time machine to go back one year, what could he do to change the outcome of the project? Here are four secrets to power listening that can transform your interactions with your team.

What exactly are people saying (or not saying)? Schedule enough time to hear them in full. Encourage them to expand on concerns, opinions, and ideas. Remember to keep your mouth shut. Don't interrupt, argue or make the story about you. Avoid the need to monopolize the conversation and say the last word!

What is the concern behind the concern? Seek out the heart of issues. Don't just take what they say at face value, but read between the lines. Don't expect your people to speak with perfect clarity. Encourage them to voice it. Help them discover what they really mean.

What are the specifics of their suggestions? People often make vague recommendations. Ask them specifically what they want to see happen. Once you hear the recommendation, check back to make sure that what they said is what you understood.

What else do I really need to hear? Most people will only share up to the level they believe you will accept without getting angry. Invite as much information as possible so your team will know you care and feel safe telling you. And, of course, don't snap at the bearer of bad news. When you get the feedback, make changes and let people know you have acted on their input.

Don't wait for your project to fail before you start really listening to your team. Top performing leaders learn early that real listening provides a competitive advantage.