Listen, but don't Answer. Instead, Respond.
I took my first role as a strategist in 2003. Since then I have been fortunate to work alongside many managers and leaders in many entities and across sectors, as they have done their level best to sustain their organizations. That is what good strategy does, in my view - it drives sustainable, healthy (or profitable) growth.
Over the last decade and a half I have participated in my share of strategic plans. From aspirational, captivating visions with no operating rungs, to theoretical missives hinging on the least likely of assumptions, to tactical to-do lists co-authored with seasoned incumbents, to repurposed big firm books that justified billing by their size, and everything else in between, I think I have seen it all.
Not surprisingly, large investments of treasure, tenure, time and team do not assure good strategy any more than management titles assure good leadership.
I found the unlock for both to be something much more ordinary. It came to me one day, quite suddenly and without fanfare, in speech I heard by undisputed rain-maker, Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike:
"Always listen to the voice of the consumer". Absolute in its certainty and profound in its simplicity, it is the break-through thinking that taught me the most enduring and reliable lesson for strategic and leadership success.
In my current role as the President of African Leadership University, it is precisely the type of thinking I want all our students to carry into stewardship of the continent.
However, whether in engaging consumers or leading employees, some organizational cultures and managers have a hard time listening to the voices of those they are in the business of serving. It is easier, even if notably risky, to rely on past practice or know-it-all gut, both of which I have seen go spectacularly wrong. And oftentimes, even when the attempt is made to listen, this listening is selective. Behind focus group glass windows or while reviewing sales data or confronting employee surveys, I have observed managers and teams approach listening with two distinct mindsets.
An answer mindset ultimately seeks to do nothing in the face of revealing or contradictory facts, but instead tries to explain them away. It corrects the perceived flaws in the evidence and focuses on derailing further exploration of it with semantics and word games. At best its answers seek to subjugate or deprioritize inconvenient truths in favor of alternative facts. At worst, answer mindsets ignore the unpleasant reality outright. They love the status quo and change has no chance on their watch. When they run out of luck, answer mindsets tend to look for blame and lay it elsewhere.
A response mindset is more open to doing something in the face of evidence or inquiry. A response mindset is curious about which causes drives which consequences and seeks to make amends where needed. It is open to learning and finding options for workable solutions. It does not always get things right, but it's not for genuine lack of trying. When it runs out of ideas the response mindset is comfortable asking for guidance from others. It does not get defensive and evasive in the face of question. A response mindset is restless until it effects positive change and it likes feedback on its performance.
One of the hardest things for successful leaders to do is refrain from adopting a permanent answer mindset. I try to guard against this by reminding myself all the time who it is that I serve, and seeking to always listen to that voice, whether I like what it says or not. As hard as it has sometimes been, a persistent response mindset has served me well and has been the one that has most helped me to weather the humbling responsibilities of leadership.
#purpose #courage #leadership #impact #custament