October 12, 2023 | By David M. Wagner

“I think we need to bring the community together, listen to their concerns, and come up with solutions together.”

Each candidate in an upcoming election gave some version of this line at a recent town hall event.

Normally, I would be inclined to praise leaders who emphasize listening as a core part of their role.

But not this time.

The Smoke Screen

I was frustrated that only one candidate touted any solutions to the challenges facing our city. The others spoke much more about listening than about any specific ideas.

I would be more empathetic if the issues were new (they aren’t), if the candidates had little government experience (three of them sit on the city’s board), or if there were a dearth of ideas (the problems and available solutions are well-known).

I suspect these candidates wanted to appear open-minded before a tight election. But too often, “listening” can be a way for leaders to avoid taking needed (if unpopular) action.

Too Much Listening?

There is such a thing as too much listening.

Yes, listening is always the first step – in getting to the heart of problems, developing solutions, persuading someone to see our point of view, understanding people's needs, and handling conflicts.

But listening gets in the way of progress when:

• We try to hear out every potential stakeholder

• We hold out for consensus among groups with competing interests

• We give equal airtime to those who are not acting in good faith

• We’re afraid of making a wrong decision (and keep listening, hoping for a perfect solution)

A client worried about the appearance of pushing an agenda if he spoke about specific solutions with stakeholders, instead of just hearing their concerns and ideas. I coached him that listening was important – but at some point, he would need to lead those stakeholders toward a shared vision.

Pivot to Action

The burden of leadership is transitioning from listening to decision and action. Here’s how.

• Distinguish between decision makers and stakeholders. Understand whose support is necessary, and whose is (merely) preferable.

• Commit to a timeframe to make important decisions and let stakeholders know what opportunities they will have to weigh in.

• After you’ve heard enough from open-ended discussions to identify common themes, narrow the focus to get meaningful feedback: “Here’s what I’ve been hearing from others. How does that connect with your experience and concerns?”

• Engage decision makers in healthy conflict about specific options. And when everyone has had their say, put forward a clear decision with your reasoning and supporting information. Remember, you need their commitment, not consensus.

While listening is essential to leadership, it cannot stop at facilitating debate – leaders must eventually put a stake in the ground and guide people to action. If you’re ready to move from listening to action, I coach nonprofit leaders on how to activate their impact by striking this balance. Set a free consultation today to discuss ways we can work together.