A good rule of thumb for a leader: Listen twice as much as you speak.  And in light of the need to re-open your business after quarantining, I posit this skill may be the difference between a successful re-opening and an unsuccessful one.

Why do I say this?  Because if you aren’t listening to your employees, your customers, your vendors and your community, you risk making decisions which will be perceived as unilateral, insensitive and out of touch.

“Sometimes leadership is perception.  Fortunately, you can influence how you are perceived as a leader.” – Michael Corley

So what might you do as you prepare to re-open your place of business/work in order to be viewed as a thoughtful and caring leader?  Ask and Listen.

ASK

  1. Ask your employees about their concerns with returning to work.
  2. Ask your customers what concerns they have in doing business in this post-COVID environment.
  3. Ask your vendors about the challenges they are experiencing.
  4. Ask your community, and this may be done through intentional observation, about how businesses should re-open.  (To avoid unnecessary negative public relations.)

LISTEN – and this is the difficult part

  1. Whether you asked the aforementioned questions in person, via survey, or another medium, you must digest the responses.
  2. Listen intently – using such skills as clarifying, paraphrasing, and making eye contact and/or written follow-up.
  3. Take the time to really, really listen and to gain an understanding of the concerns of your stakeholders and show them that you “hear” them.

You will not be able to please everyone.  That is not your role as a leader.  However, if you listen after giving people the opportunity to share their concerns, and you demonstrate that you did take all input into consideration, then you will gain the respect of your team.