~ Design like you’re right… « John’s Blog John Lilly sent me a link to his mighty fine post last night after reading my thoughts on a/b testing. (via bijan)">

Design like you’re right; listen like you’re wrong

Photo by Chris Inside

This is a part of the Tribes Group Blogging Project based on Seth Godin’s book “Tribes“.

Leadership is like a fire hydrant. Most people notice the brightly colored top because it’s what you can see. What they don’t always realize is the underground portion of the fire hydrant that connects to the water and it is what makes the top work.

One of the hardest things for a leader to do is listen. This is because we often see that leadership is making decisions and we often only see the outcome of the thought process, we never see the events leading up to that decision – we only see the top of the fire hydrant. On page 128 of Tribes, author Seth Godin refers to President Ronald Regan’s secret:

Regan’s secret, is to listen, to value what you hear, and then make a decision even if it contradicts the very people you are listening to.

Listening to those around you is important because it IS the lower half of the fire hydrant. Connecting you to the life of the organization, listening gives others the chance to share with you why they believe something. In most cases the people you lead will respect a decision made if they feel like their opinion was heard. Listening isn’t always easy to do, and the trick here is to really listen to people. You can’t just listen to them because it will make them feel like you care about what they think, because that will backfire in a major way. Chances are you’ll learn about the issue, you’ll learn about your people and you’ll grow as a leader.

You need to listen because you need buy in from the people around you because leaders without followers aren’t leaders.

So plan time in your day to listen – you’ll be better and your organization will be stronger.