High Performance Leaders Get Feedback Often

Have you ever wondered what on earth was going on in the mind of a leader?

Have you found yourself in the throws of the effects of a decision that was far more serious and pervasive than the leader knew?

I can remember being in situations where the team members were saying things like "change is good, but this is chaos!" and "why would they do such a thing?" and "do they realize that this will drive the best people out of here?"

Did these leaders do these things on purpose to rock the boat so thoroughly?Well, maybe sometimes. There are leaders who trash and burn a team to move it to another place -- sometimes (rarely) for the better but usually just closer to that downward spiral of dissolution.

But most of the time that I've seen leaders make catastrophic decisions it has been from well-intentioned ignorance. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but they had no idea how disastrous it would be. They could have known, though if they had just bothered to get enough feedback from their team.

Sometimes all it takes is to ask.

Asking does not remove a leaders ability to decide -- but it does illuminate what may have been in the dark. It does expose what may have been hidden. And it does provide the opportunity for people to have a meaningful voice.

Even the best leaders are not always aware of the gravity of their actions. Get feedback often.

What are you about to decide in the dark? Who can you ask first?

-- Douglas Brent Smith

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Photo: Stephen Downes

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