Whether you’re a first-time manager with five direct reports or a CEO with 50,000 people in the company, as a leader you need a balanced perspective to make decisions in an increasingly complex and confusing business environment. Unfortunately, given the amount of polarization these days, there is a tendency to hold tightly to one’s own views. Add to that social media and the algorithms tracking who and what we follow online, and it’s easier to become locked into our own opinions.
Achieving a balanced perspective—one of my four principles of values-based leadership—requires us to break out of the echo chamber of our own viewpoints and those who tell us what they think we want to hear. (The higher you go in an organization, the more this will become a problem.) That’s why a balanced perspective requires another of my values-based leadership principles: genuine humility.
With genuine humility, you never forget where you came from and you treat everyone with respect. You remember all too well what it was like when you were in a cubicle and all the bosses were making decisions and issuing directives—some of which made no sense to you and your colleagues. Now that you’re one of the bosses, you appreciate the insights of team members who are closest to the suppliers and customers. Listening to their input will help you become a more effective leader.
Otherwise, confirmation bias could undermine your leadership and decision making, favoring one viewpoint over another. This bias can lead to poor morale, a less diverse and inclusive workplace, poor customer service, and even reduced competitiveness by failing to see all the challenges and opportunities.
The Dynamic Duo: A Balanced Perspective and Genuine Humility
The first time I witnessed genuine humility and a balanced perspective in action at the highest level of an organization was many years ago. As an analyst on the business development team, I was assigned to analyze a company that Baxter wanted to purchase. After presenting my analysis to my boss, I asked, “So what is the next step?” My manager told me senior leadership had decided to go ahead and acquire the company—for $100 million.
My analysis concluded that the maximum we should pay for the company was $50 million. If I had made an error in my analysis, I needed to understand where and why. When I asked, my boss told me I had done a good job, but senior leaders had already made up their minds. They were going to acquire the company for $100 million.
Later, as I engaged in some self-reflection, I was confident that I had derived an appropriate valuation and had spoken with others as part of my analysis. I knew what I had to do—speak to the CEO.
Every morning the CEO went to the company cafeteria—and I was there when he walked in. I introduced myself and explained that I had analyzed the acquisition candidate. Respectfully, I told the CEO my valuation was for no more than $50 million.
To make a long story short, after our conversation the CEO met with senior management, my boss, and me. They reversed their decision to acquire the company because they could not justify the $100 million asking price.
Although it did take true self-confidence on my part to speak up about what I believed was the right thing, that’s not the point of this story. The kudos belong to the CEO who demonstrated genuine humility in listening to a financial analyst many levels below him and a balanced perspective that allowed for a different conclusion.
Confronting Bias as a Leader
Without the combination of genuine humility and a balanced perspective, we run the risk of allowing our confirmation bias to undermine our leadership and decision making. There are many types of biases—conscious and unconscious—from affinity bias in who we hire to cognitive bias in how we think and those to whom we listen most closely. If unaddressed, our biases can lead to poor morale, a less diverse and inclusive workplace, poor customer service, and even reduced competitiveness by failing to see all the challenges and opportunities.
Here are three ways leaders can overcome their biases by relying on genuine humility to help them develop a balanced perspective:
- Commit the time and the intention. The first step is to slow down and appreciate the importance of understanding the multiple sides of any issue. It’s actually quite simple: the more you understand, the better informed you’ll be when making decisions. With a balanced perspective, you’re more likely to seek out diverse viewpoints because you are more motivated to “do the right thing” than to “be right.”
- Listen first, speak last. When an issue arises, as the boss you probably already have an idea of what should be done or how to respond. But what are you missing if you rely only on what you know? Before saying a word to the team, find out what they are thinking. By making it very clear that you want honest feedback, you are more likely to get it—but only if you listen first to the team before sharing your own thoughts.
- Developing the team who can find the answers. As a leader, our job is not to have all the answers. Rather, we ask excellent questions that empower and encourage our team to find and share the information that will lead to those answers. But let’s say that someone on your team is having a hard time articulating their thoughts. The more you encourage and listen to what this person has to say, the more likely they will let down their guard and share what’s on their mind. And, if it turns out that there is a lack of understanding, it’s time for an open and honest discussion. The person either needs further development for their current job, or they may be better off elsewhere in the company. Whatever the outcome, this is part of the development path for every person on your team.
Finally, remember that values-based leadership has nothing to do with titles or someone’s position on the org chart. Rather, it is grounded in the ability to influence people, which requires that you relate to people. Or, as I express in my simple, three-component model: leadership, influence, relate. When you can relate to others—thanks to your genuine humility—you are more likely to influence them. And the more you can influence people—with the benefit of a balanced perspective—the better you can lead them.
Photo by Chor Tsang on Unsplash
