By Steve Moran

There is a lot of data that supports the idea that leaders who listen well are better leaders, have higher performing companies, and have happier team members.

There is also a bunch of data that indicates that most leaders are much better at talking and proclaiming than they are at listening. Knowing that, I was intrigued by this post by Adam Grant, a professor, a best-selling author, and one of the nation’s leading thought leaders.

I don’t know exactly what inspired this post, but as I watched the fierce political and ugly battle for control of the White House, Senate, and House, one of the most glaring leadership flops I saw on both sides was the complete unwillingness of politicians to say,

“I got that wrong.”

On one hand, I get it. They know that if they say they were wrong, the news outlets and media pundits will pounce on it. And they already face a daily assault from the opposition media that would make most of us wilt.

But what they miss is that voters — every one of them — know that even leaders are human and make mistakes, get things wrong.

I am pretty well convinced that in a number of cases, candidates could have turned the tide by saying, “You know what? I got __________ wrong.” Voters would see that candidate as more trustworthy and honest, more human.

Leadership 

Great leaders want the best outcomes. This means they want truth and the whole truth; they delight in figuring out they are wrong and getting better. As Adam points out, it is a unique and strong leader that is focused on asking the right questions and on getting it right, rather than simply being right … even when they are wrong.

A Quiz

With all that in mind, I created this 15-question assessment that will allow you to assess your capacity to listen.

We ask for your name and email address, but those are both optional if you don’t want to tell. Take the quiz here.