Learning to Ask
Peter Drucker defined the crucial difference between the traditional leaders of yesterday’s organizations and the leaders of the future when said, “The leader of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.” The traditional hierarchical model of leadership will not work effectively for major organizations in tomorrow’s changing world.
The organization of the future is based on the “team approach,” in which shared leadership, building alliances, and empowering people are essential to the success of the company. A leader will no longer be the sole decision maker. In the future, and in many companies right now, before global goals and objectives are fully adopted and incorporated into both shortterm and longterm projects, the global leader will get input and buy-in from all levels. This process takes time, but it is time well spent and should be treated as a priority.
The tendency right now is to flatten the corporation. The long chain of command is no longer effective. Our company has [fewer] people with bigger jobs.…Flatter companies will be more flexible, have more effective communication, and have the freedom to react and respond to business needs.
The effective global leader of the future will need to consistently ask for feedback and to solicit new ideas. A variety of key stakeholders, such as present and potential customers, suppliers, team members, cross-divisional peers, direct reports, managers, other organizational members, researchers, and thought leaders, will be vital sources of information. Leadership inventories, satisfaction surveys, phone calls, voice mail, email, the Internet, satellite hook-ups, and in-person dialogue are some of the many ways a leader ask for feedback.
The trend toward asking is already clear. Twenty years ago top executives rarely asked for feedback. Today the majority of leaders in the most highly respected organizations in the world regularly ask for feedback. The global leader must rely heavily on his or her ability to ask questions that will enhance the exchange of personal and organizational knowledge. Asking the right questions will bring to surface any underlying issues and may help the executive reconsider a behavior, a decision, or a possible course of action.
By asking the right questions, the beliefs, behaviors, and actions of the leader will be either supported or confronted, and his or her current course will be either validated or challenged. Whether positive or negative, this feedback gives the leader insight into his or her personal leadership style and also helps keep business risks in check. For instance, James Despain, while acting as a corporate leader in turning around the globally active Caterpiller corporation, encouraged several levels of information exchange, going far beyond just a suggestion box.
Aside from the obvious benefit of gaining new ideas and insights, asking by top global leaders has a secondary benefit that may be even more important. The leader who asks is providing a role model. Sincere asking demonstrates a willingness to listen and learn, a desire to serve, and a humility that can be an inspiration for the entire organization. Despain, for example, was showing, not telling, his colleagues all the way to night sweeper (a position, by the way, at which he first started with the company) that he could hear them and wanted to hear from them.
Asking and listening create the basis of mutual trust and true dialog that are fun- damental to the networking of ideas. In today’s rapidly fluctuating marketplace, this is critical to good decision making and the formation of a robust, resilient workforce.