Listen More Than You Speak

When I was first offered a leadership position in my mid-20s, I initially thought that leadership meant speaking up and making my voice heard in every situation. I quickly learned that wasn’t true. A pivotal shift happened when I read Multipliers by Liz Wiseman, a book that fundamentally changed my perspective. It taught me that a leader’s role is to extract the best ideas from the team, listen deeply, and only speak about 10-15% of the time in meetings. That was a game-changer for me.

I naturally tend to ask a lot of questions – curiosity is second nature. So, the idea of remaining in curiosity came easily. Instead of leading by speaking, I realized my job was to create an environment where the team could solve problems, and I could guide decisions by understanding their inputs and filtering for the best outcomes.

Creating a Safe Space for Open Dialogue

To ensure team members feel confident sharing their ideas, it’s critical to establish a safe, judgment-free environment. We use what I call “green light meetings,” where no idea is criticized, and everyone is encouraged to share freely. Even off-the-wall ideas can lead to breakthroughs. Once all ideas are on the table, we move to a “red light” phase, where we edit, combine, and evaluate the best ones.

The key is fostering a culture where there are no bad ideas, just ideas that need refining. The goal is for the best idea to win, no matter whose it is, and as a leader, there’s nothing better than when the team brings forward a better solution than the one I had in mind.

Staying Disciplined in Speaking Less

At first, it can be hard to keep quiet in meetings. Instinctively, as leaders, we think we should dominate conversations, but that handicaps the team. When leaders do all the talking, the team becomes dependent on them, unable to make decisions without their input. That’s why we train our team to come with solutions, not just problems. Over time, they learn to think critically and solve issues on their own.

Encouraging Problem Solving and Ownership

If someone brings a problem without potential solutions, I ask them to take a step back and think of a few before coming to me. It’s a gentle reminder that we expect everyone to contribute to solving challenges. Our culture encourages critical thinking, and if someone doesn’t align with that approach, it might mean they aren’t the right fit for our team.

Our goal is to hire people who enjoy autonomy and are entrepreneurial in their thinking. We align incentives so that when the company wins, they win too. By empowering them and giving them the freedom to act, we’re able to create a high-performance team that continuously improves.

Ultimately, it’s about focusing on our “North Star” – our investors and residents. Every decision must add value to both, and if it doesn’t, we know it’s not worth pursuing.