Do you know? How will you find out?
FEARLESS LEADER,
Time for a quick Gut Check.
“Pay attention… and make what you think you know be strange to you.”
— KIRK VARNEDOE, curator
- COVID Crisis
- Working Remotely
- Initiating Re-Entry
- Facing Economic Uncertainty
- Confronting Systemic Injustice
Fearless Leaders know that each of these will continue to challenge your business, your processes, your relationships, and your state of mind. By the way, do you see the word ‘challenge’ and feel it as a burden, a responsibility, an opportunity, or an inspiration (You may choose more than one answer.)
Time for a quick Gut Check:
Write down and finish these 2 statements.
My greatest concern about the company right now is __________________________.
My greatest concern about my employees right now is __________________________.
Now write down and finish these 2 statements.
My employees‘ greatest concern about the company is __________________________.
My employees‘ greatest concern about me as a leader is _________________________.
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.
Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
— MARIE CURIE
You may be discovering that the answer to the last two questions is “I don’t know.”
Wow. That’s good to know. But how will you find out?
Try this.
Think about a time in your career when you had something important to say to your employer or someone else in power. What barriers did you encounter? Did you have difficulty saying what was on your mind, or being heard, or getting through? Did you find a way in?
Now think about your own firm. What are the barriers that might be discouraging people from telling you what they need to say and what you need to hear? What new avenues might be needed now for encouraging people who have more or less difficulty saying what’s on their minds?
Here are two ways:
Hold a Listening Tour.
This requires preparation, intention, and skill. I help leaders prepare for a Listening Tour of their firm by defining their purpose, practicing active listening skills, and coming up with great questions that inspire people to talk. I coach you on how to anticipate a range of responses and communication styles.
Hold a Listening Circle.
Unlike any all-office meeting or ‘town hall’ you’ve ever tried, the Circle is a lightly facilitated gathering with a structure rooted in ancient practices and proven to create equity and opportunity for everyone to speak and be heard in community.
As an impartial facilitator, I guide your first Listening Circles, then turn it over to the community to make it your own.
“Infinitely at ease despite so many risks, with no variation of her usual routine,
the blooming rose is the omen of her immeasurable endurance.”
— RILKE
Feeling uncertain, overwhelmed, or know you could do better? Let’s talk.
Or you talk and I’ll listen.
I’ll help you cultivate your firm’s unique approach to open communication.