Leadership Lessons from Nature: How Listening to Your Team Can Prevent Organizational Turbulence

It’s a powerful experience to hear the wind coming up on you before it hits your body. My family’s ranch is on a gulch where the mountains create a ravine. Our cabin is at the top of the gulch and you literally hear extreme gusts of wind nearly a minute before it gets to you. It’s an important thing to pay attention to or else you  can find yourself with a face full of dirt. When I was a kid the wind physically knocked me over. That was before I knew to listen for it. It only took one dirty fall to learn that lesson.

This concept has great parallels to those in leadership positions. Effective leaders make time to listen to the members of their Tribe. What are they experiencing individually and what is their view of the collective experience? What needs to be improved and what needs to stay constant? How can they help you (as the leader) stay more connected to the on-going needs of the team?

Leaders are only as strong as those that keep them grounded and in touch with the reality of the conditions of their work’s environment. So keep your ears open and encourage those around you to let you know what “the word is on the street.”

A word to the wise: this dialogue is not to be confused with gossip. Gossip is the opposite of a supportive and engaged conversation. It’s personal, caddy and does not get you closer to the realities you may not be in touch with.

So find your Culture Keepers*, leave your door open and ensure you’re always listening.

Having the wind knock me over may have been one of my earliest memories of how important it is to pay attention to the warning signs nature was giving me. Now when I hear the wind coming I’m ready for it…and you should be too.

*”Culture Keepers” is a SparkVision term used to describe people who lead and maintain the positive aspects of your organization’s environment and values.