Cowboys and cowgirls of the American West have an expression we can all learn from: Taste your words before you spit them out. Learning to edit or filter your thoughts is not easy for strong leaders. They often underestimate how others will run with the words they use and find themselves defensive or insulted while they remain oblivious to this impact.
I agree with this in the context of an "All-hands" meeting or something similar. But what about 1:1s, Team, or Project Meetings. Sometimes, I want a leader to take off their leader hat and put on their 'problem solver' hat. Throw out ideas, talk out loud, it helps me better understand their thinking process. I do this with my team. I will explicitly state, "We're talking out loud here, exploring ideas/ways to attack the problem." "Let's not get too hung up on any one idea until the end of the discussion and agree on next steps?" I've always thought this was helping my team, maybe it's not. Thoughts?
Taste Your Words Before You Spit Them Out
I agree with this in the context of an "All-hands" meeting or something similar. But what about 1:1s, Team, or Project Meetings. Sometimes, I want a leader to take off their leader hat and put on their 'problem solver' hat. Throw out ideas, talk out loud, it helps me better understand their thinking process. I do this with my team. I will explicitly state, "We're talking out loud here, exploring ideas/ways to attack the problem." "Let's not get too hung up on any one idea until the end of the discussion and agree on next steps?" I've always thought this was helping my team, maybe it's not. Thoughts?