Leadership Nudge – EMBRACE OUTLIERS
When Leaders hear a different position than their own, an outlying position, they embrace it. They say, “Hey, tell me more about that.” I’ll give you two examples where this did not happen.
Number One, the lead problem in Flint, Michigan where over a year ago, a doctor said, “Hey there’s a problem with the water.” It was an outlying position at the time, but she was right.
Number two, thirty years ago when the scientist at NASA said, “You know what? These O-rings aren’t going to hold up in this cold weather.” It was an outlying position. No one wanted to hear it. It wasn’t embraced. Launch – Problem –we all know the Challenger story.
There is a tremendous cost when we ignore outlying positions. There’s a cost to the organization. There’s a cost to the people, and there is a cost to us.
My leadership nudge to you this week is this:
Find an outlying position. Create a mindset of, “You know what? My team may be right and I may be wrong,” and then explore it.
Let us know how it goes!
