08/26/2024

Learning the Value of Conversation from a Whale Sculpture

Real conversations with your team are crucial for innovation

It's time we had a little talk — about talking too much and forgetting to start a conversation. It's one of the least discussed failures of senior leaders, and it needs to change.

Rather than begin with what a conversation is, let's start with how it feels. Above all, a conversation feels equal. It's an exchange in the truest sense, a shared back-and-forth, one in which who’s leading is irrelevant. When it's happening, it's something we viscerally sense to be valuable and vital.

It's true in any realm, but its value to business is worth calling out: It's core to problem-solving. Innovation depends on it. It's fundamental to the effective management of risk, threat, change and human interaction. And that's just the surface value. Fundamentally, conversation is where we build relationships that enable all the rest.

Please select this link to read the complete article from SmartBrief.