Letting Go of Your Need to be Right
As a leader, you are often rewarded for having all the right answers. You may fight hard for your position on a subject. However, as I’ve watched leaders put an effort into letting go of their own need to be right when it made sense to do so, I’ve also watched some things happen within their organizations that can sometimes be nothing short of astounding:
- People taking responsibility, where they avoided it before
- A greater level of creativity when a team feels safe to say what’s on their minds
- Employees who weren’t previously invested in the work roll up their shirtsleeves and go the extra mile
- A decline in turnover; employees want to stay in the organization
These potential upsides may encourage you to learn how to let go of your need to be right. This is one of those seemingly small shifts in mindset that are in reality hard to do. How do you begin to learn?
Before you jump into a conversation with an argument or ultimatum about your ideas, consider doing the following first:
Listen and leave your judgment behind: When you truly listen with an attitude of curiosity and non judgment, you may find some validity and clarity in the ideas of others. If you find yourself judging another’s ideas as they speak, shift into listening some more. If others are challenging you, and you’re anxious to have your say, hold off on speaking and crank up the listening.
Accept the other’s viewpoint: For the time being, understand that someone else’s viewpoint is their perception and experience. It isn’t right or wrong, it is simply what they believe. Seek to understand the viewpoint from the stance of the other person.
It’s not about you: So often, we interpret another’s stance against our ideas as a personal attack. Sometimes that may be the case, but it’s rarer than you might think. Stay open and calm. Realize that it’s about the conversation. It’s not about you.
It’s not about them: If someone opposes your ideas, it isn’t a commentary about their character. Listen to what they say, and don’t assume that there is something about their position that is untrustworthy. Seek clarity by asking respectful, open-ended questions.
Learning to take an attitude that there isn’t always a “right” and a “wrong” helps you to be more open. When you are more open, your followers and your organization will be better off.
What else have you practiced that helps you to let go of the need to be right?
Continue reading here: How listening more will change you
Was this article helpful?