by Pamela Jett, CSP
Some things are really very hard for me to swallow: brussel sprouts, creamed corn, liver, and zucchini, to name a few. However, the most difficult thing for me to swallow is my pride. It is difficult, distasteful, and not very fun from my point of view. And yet, I am aware that swallowing my pride is good for me, just like liver and zucchini. 
While every leader is aware of how important it is to be humble (which means teachable), it is sometimes very difficult.
One simple way to swallow our pride as leaders is to ask others for their ideas as opposed to simply imposing our own agenda. Research is very clear that when we ask others for their ideas and solutions, we increase employee engagement and often get better solutions to complex problems. It isn’t always easy to ask others for their opinions, especially when time is tight or when we think we know the “right” answer. It is, however, worth it. Here are a few simple “pride-swallowing” questions to add to your leadership communication repertoire.
- “What are your thoughts?”
- “How do you think this might play out?”
- “How would you approach this situation?”
Just like swallowing brussel sprouts, swallowing our pride can yield great bottom-line results. And, as an added bonus, we become the kind of leader that employees like and respect.
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Tags: communication, Employee Engagement
