Humble Inquiry: To Lead is to Listen
Help Team Members Find Their Roles
The important lesson here is that teams almost always work better when the higher status person in the group exhibits some humility by active listening, this acknowledges that the others are crucial to good outcomes and creates psychological space for them to develop identities and roles in the group that feel equitable and fair.
…someone is still in charge, but if the group has a chance to evolve, the members can find their niches that both facilitate the accomplishment of the task and satisfy their own personal needs. Status and rank do not become equal, but teammates are comfortable with the appropriate amount of status commensurate with their roles.
Helping: How to Offer, Give, and Receive Help by Edgar H. Schein (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2009) 108
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Image credit: Allison V. Smith via MPD
conversation is an engine 
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Try “Yes, and…” Today | conversation is an engine
May 30, 2014 at 9:57 am