Open your mind to other's ideas...

We all know people who are sometimes wrong, but never uncertain. They are difficult to be around and to work with.

 

·       It’s important to let everyone express themselves.

·       It’s also important to listen with an open mind.

 

One of the things I learned was that nobody can know everything, and anyone can learn from others. Working in a large and complex organization highlights that point. In fact, the people who know the most are those on the frontline who deal with the processes and customers - their unique perspective should always be listened to. Unfortunately, many leaders feel that they must present themselves as being the experts on everything when in fact that's not necessary. The more that leaders rely on subject experts, the better their decision making will be. Make it a point to listen to your employees, be open to what they have to say, and don't make decisions without including everyone's input. You never want to be one who’s seen as full of themselves - someone who is all talk with no action, power, or substance behind his/her words. If you don’t, your employees will see through that, and you run the risk of losing their respect and trust. Keep an open mind today.

 

Benjamin Whichcote (1609 – 1683): English church leader, Provost of King's College in Cambridge, and leader of the Cambridge Platonists. He held that man is the "child of reason" and so not completely depraved by nature, as Puritans held. He also argued for religious toleration.