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Kołodziej-Teszbir
According to Harvard Business Review, “decisions are more effective when more people are involved from the start.” The more the merrier, right? Right. Great leaders know that asking for team input will yield the best decisions, uncover blind spots, and show peer appreciation.
Reflect on how to encourage collective thinking
Learning how to encourage collective thinking is fundamental in developing and honing your leadership skills. Start by simply taking a moment to reflect.
Why should leaders communicate decisions to their teams?
Exercises to help you encourage collective thinking
Now, it's time to put your reflection into action. Finding opportunities to implement your leadership skills can allow you to encourage collective thinking.
- Explain the rationale behind a decision. Share why you went with option A over B. For example, “After considering the tradeoffs and talking to peers, I went with option A.”
- Be OK with sitting in silence after communicating your decision. After 15 seconds, consider asking for feedback or following up with, “Does anyone have any questions?”
- Keep your team in the loop with any upcoming decisions, big or small. Continuously update your team through Slack messages, emails, or end of week meetings.
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