Diverse perspectives are a gift.
Heifetz et al. wrote, “An organization will be better equipped to identify and grapple with adaptive challenges if its people do not expect the CEO and other senior authorities to always have the answers” (2009, p. 103). They also wrote, “There is no such thing as a dysfunctional organization because every organization is perfectly aligned to achieve the results it currently gets” (p.17).
“There is no such thing as a dysfunctional organization because every organization is perfectly aligned to achieve the results it currently gets.”
These two sentences remind me of speech-language pathologists' (SLP) recommended responses to children who struggle with constant complaining or tattle-telling. Instead of engaging in the behavior and solving the problem for the child or ignoring them and sending them away, the SLP’s suggest asking the child, “Why are you here? This is an issue between you and this person, and even if the problem-solving is hard, it’s something you need to do with them.” This effectively reroutes the conversation back to the child and puts the challenge of finding a solution on them.
Expanding on this example, it is typically quite evident when listening to an issue from a parent (about their child) where they enable the behavior. Not all children are alike, and I understand that, but the parent’s expectations and consistent standards inform the child’s actions.
Let’s transport this to an office setting. We cannot support a culture where talking about problems without a solution is not allowed. However, we must support a culture where diverse solutions are not only entertained but valued and implemented. For this culture to succeed, all senior leadership must agree and align on responses to employees when problems arise. This is where the idea of consistent parenting comes in.
“We must support a culture where diverse solutions are not only entertained but valued and implemented. ”
These diverse perspectives are a gift from critical followers to make us better. It may seem silly, but intentionally telling yourself, “I’m so glad someone is feeling critical today! Great solutions are born of these conversations,” or “My first reaction is to dislike this, but I’m going to hold my tongue for a moment and let it sink in.”
By creating the pause, we allow our bodies to acclimate to whichever idea or solution was just presented. We allow ourselves to move past first defenses, ugly rearing of the ego, and potentially relationship-alternating responses. The pause is what helps us to engage followers and their expansive solutions in innovative change.
References:
Heifetz, R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world. Harvard Business Press.