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Why Leaders Who Listen to Their Team’s Ideas Have Higher Engagement

Quick Leadership Tips #3

Wendy Scott
2 min readJun 6, 2023

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Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

One common theme of engagement surveys is that line managers don’t ask for improvement ideas from the team.

Even when ideas are put forward unasked, many managers could be more appreciative.

Ideas are ignored or dismissed, leaving the team member feeling disregarded.

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” — Richard Branson

So why bother to take the time to listen?

  • Your team will feel heard and valued, which will increase engagement. Consulting the team about decision-making processess creates trust and a sense of empowerment & ownership amongst the group.
  • When you ask your team for ideas, they will find their role more fulfilling. Think about when you have been asked for your ideas, rather than given a series of instructions.
  • Different perspectives, backgrounds, and cultures will mean your team will come up with improvement ideas that you wouldn’t have thought of.
  • The creativity & innovation in the team will increase, leading to improved processes, better problem-solving, reduction of waste, and even new…

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Wendy Scott
Wendy Scott

Written by Wendy Scott

L&D professional writing practical, step-by-step leadership and training & development articles to help leaders, managers & trainers grow their careers.

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