Really enjoyed this. The reminder that listening is a leadership capability rather than just a communication skill really resonated.
I completely agree that actively engaging a broad set of stakeholders early helps uncover perspectives, assumptions and constraints that would otherwise be missed.
I would add that, even with the best listening and most complete engagement in the world, as you point out we rarely have complete information or fully formed requirements at the outset. That’s where I’ve found a lean, incremental approach so valuable. By delivering in small steps, you create opportunities to gather fast, real-world feedback, learn what actually matters, and adapt before investing too heavily.
To me, the combination of listening broadly and learning quickly through iteration is what gives leaders the best chance of making better decisions. Thanks for sharing this perspective.
Thanks for the addition and yes I agree that having a fast iterative engagement and feedback really helps. What I’ve put in place in the past is “in the moment” feedback - don’t wait for a weekly/monthly survey but have the facility to provide feedback at the point that triggered it.
That’s for good and bad feedback - we love to complain quickly, but may praise much later on if we remember. Having that in-the-moment can provide more realistic feedback and input.
Really enjoyed this. The reminder that listening is a leadership capability rather than just a communication skill really resonated.
I completely agree that actively engaging a broad set of stakeholders early helps uncover perspectives, assumptions and constraints that would otherwise be missed.
I would add that, even with the best listening and most complete engagement in the world, as you point out we rarely have complete information or fully formed requirements at the outset. That’s where I’ve found a lean, incremental approach so valuable. By delivering in small steps, you create opportunities to gather fast, real-world feedback, learn what actually matters, and adapt before investing too heavily.
To me, the combination of listening broadly and learning quickly through iteration is what gives leaders the best chance of making better decisions. Thanks for sharing this perspective.
Thanks for the addition and yes I agree that having a fast iterative engagement and feedback really helps. What I’ve put in place in the past is “in the moment” feedback - don’t wait for a weekly/monthly survey but have the facility to provide feedback at the point that triggered it.
That’s for good and bad feedback - we love to complain quickly, but may praise much later on if we remember. Having that in-the-moment can provide more realistic feedback and input.