Really listening

A crucial element in Barack Obama’s decision-making process is his willingness to really listen to the diversity of voices in the room.

As president, Obama was confronted with tough decisions and developed his decision-making process accordingly. Sharing some of his learning and ideas, he highlights how much attention he paid to enable all the voices in the room to speak up. It was clear to him, that there never is a guarantee that the people present will be willing to speak up and share their views. He thus was concerned about details that might prevent this from happening.

That people might not speak up is especially true in a setting involving a person of authority and influence. People may fear that person, assume that respect means to second that person’s opinion or find themselves silenced in other ways. This can lead to a pull into some type of groupthink. It can also lead to a lack of psychological safety experienced by individuals and prevent them from speaking up.

By really listening Obama also meant to consider the various possibilities that nothing was being said or that important details were being held back. He worked to make people as comfortable as possible, hoping that it would help them to speak up and share their views. He also paid attention to the human dynamics in his team. One story he shared was how conversations had been impacted by gender dynamics, which had been a blind spot of his. Discovering it he sought ways to transform them and help other members of his team become aware of them.

Obama also describes how having Joe Biden as a Vice President enabled him to have a contrarian in the room. That is someone willing to stand his ground, share his opinion, and ask questions even when being alone with it. That this could slow down the decision process in the moment had less relevance than creating space for as many voices as possible to be heard thanks to such interventions.

None of this can happen through a person telling everyone to give feedback, be open, and share what is on top of their mind. It requires a leader caring enough to be vulnerable and welcoming of uncomfortable information. And a leader role modeling non-judgmental listening and invitations for voices to make themselves heard.