Several decades ago, it was en vogue for a high-powered CEO or senior leader to cultivate a “lone-wolf leader” personality. The idea was that one hero would single-handedly advance their department or company with high expectations and little to no input from stakeholders.

I’m here to tell you that it’s time for the idea of the Lone-Wolf Leader to go extinct. Truth is, evolved companies on the leading edge of leadership have already kicked ‘em to the curb — now it’s time for the rest of us to climb on board.

Collaboration is King

These days, expectations in the workplace have shifted. Leaders are now expected to be adaptable, open-minded, inclusive, and perhaps most of all, collaborative.

This new model of leadership is emerging as traditional methods of how we work are changing before our eyes. Even before pandemic lockdowns forced many employees to quickly adapt to working from home, workplaces in the 21st century were beginning to look vastly different from those our parents experienced.

Hierarchy was breaking down and being replaced by a more lateral structure. Expectations of true teamwork were on the rise. Cubicle farms started looking more like open-concept workplaces, and employees began demanding that they have a greater voice, more flexibility, and more respect in their place of work.

While leaders are still expected to be visionary, the “command and control” model is way outdated. Now, the workplace is embracing a more collaborative process — and individual leaders should, too.

From a decision-making point of view, understanding others’ perspectives will help you make more well-rounded decisions and give you opportunities to empower your team members to be open and honest with their thoughts as they learn from your expertise.

Cultivate Active Listening

Of course, you can’t take everyone’s advice on every little decision. However, when you’re intentional about gathering information and fresh perspectives from the right team members when it’s time to make an important decision, you’ll find yourself well-equipped to make the best choice possible (and are likely to see solutions that hadn’t come to mind previously).

A key skill in this process is listening. When you engage others in setting priorities and making decisions, the principle of “understand first before seeking to be understood” is a smart one to follow in business (and in life).

The best way to do this is to practice active listening. This means suspending the idea that you already know the answer, or that you already know what someone is about to say. Really lean in, get quiet, and listen for what is said. Be curious and open.

Here are some steps to practice active listening.

Step One: Ask questions to clarify and dig deeper.
Questions like…

• Tell me more about that point of view.

• What is driving you to feel that way, or see it that way?

• What do you think I’m missing here?

• How might I see it from your viewpoint?

Step Two: Repeat back what you hear them say.
Doing this will verify that you heard them correctly, and validate their perspective. This doesn’t mean you should parrot their answer back to them, word for word. Instead, paraphrase what they’ve communicated and ask if you’re understanding right. You can say, “What I’m hearing you say is… is that right? Is there anything I left out that you feel is important?”

Step Three: Remain curious.
Active listening is all about being curious and open-minded rather than coming into the conversation with a fixed mindset, especially in situations where you think you might disagree with someone. Remember, you want and need their perspective! Practice saying to yourself, “Let me be curious about what they will say next.” Lean in and listen as opposed to finishing their sentences in your head (this is a sure sign that you are not listening at all, by the way).

Active listening will help you quickly get to the gems of what your team is contributing to your decision-making process. Not only that, it will improve your relationships with others when they feel like you are actually listening and digesting what they have to say… regardless of whether you end up integrating their ideas or not.

Learn to let go of the Lone-Wolf Leader fantasy and embrace a more collaborative, inclusive, team-oriented work environment. This week, I challenge you to find moments where you can practice active listening. Just give it a shot and see what naturally unfolds… you just might hear something you’ve never heard before!

My next article will talk about how to deal with getting multiple inputs and team alignment. Stay tuned, and reach out if you’d like to connect.