Leaders Talk Last

The saying we have all heard is: “leaders eat last.”

I’d propose an update to that quote: “leaders talk last.”

We have all sat in meetings. Over the years, I’ve found them to be a keen opportunity to observe leaders “in their natural habitat.”

I’ve discovered a few things along the way:
If the leader puts their idea out there first, they shut down team contributions.
When the leader dominates air time, the rest of the team gradually stops participating (and even paying attention) over time.
When the leader has strong opinions and expresses them first, no other opinions emerge.
And… Talk time from the leader does not equate to good thinking, good solutions, or a healthy team culture.

On the other hand:
When the leader asks tough questions and gives space for the team to contribute, the team gets invested and involved.
When the leader speaks less or even speaks the least, they inherently communicate value for their team’s thinking and contributions.
When the leader waits to share their thinking until others contribute, they discover that others have ideas that strengthen the solution.
When the leader waits to talk, sometimes they discover their team had even better ideas than what the leader was going to propose.
When the leader speaks last, the overall participation, engagement, and feelings of worth and value of a team exponentially increase.
The leader speaking less and/or last fosters healthier leadership cultures.

Isn’t that what we all want - competent professionals contributing and making our collective work better? A healthy, “lean in,” participative culture?

If you are the leader and you want to grow your team’s capacity, develop leadership talent, obtain diversity of perspectives, and you want greater ownership of the work by your team… you should consider speaking less and you should consider speaking last.

Heck, if you just want stronger and clearer solutions and planning… and you want to build buy-in across your team… try speaking less and/or speaking last. You might just find that your team steps up in ways never imagined.

Transitioning to this approach isn’t easy but it is worth it.