“Why doesn’t anyone talk?” I asked in exasperation.
My acting chief of staff, Herb Jones, and I had just left our daily team meeting and were walking the hallway back to my office in the state capitol. A former chief of staff for John Thune, Herb had been instrumental on the campaign trail, and I’d asking him to stay on for an interim period before he left to work in social services.
That morning our footsteps were probably louder than usual on the terrazzo tiles: I’m a fast walker in general, but I was frustrated today. The legislature had been in session for three weeks, which meant we were halfway though. In South Dakota, the session is short – only about forty days – and the governor’s staff meets daily to discuss the bills that have been filed and their potential impact.
Only there wasn’t much discussion happening at all.
The staff members attending our daily meetings were staying quiet. As much as we tried to encourage those in the room to talk, the dialogue never became a debate. Which meant I couldn’t get the full picture.
As we arrived at my office, Josh, another senior members of my team, walked into overhear the conversation.
“I don’t understand” I said to Herb and Josh. “I keep trying to get them to speak up. Do they think I have all the answers? Why don’t they say something?”
Josh was quiet for a moment. Then he sighed. “Why don’t you try being quiet for a while?”
I stopped. “What do you mean?” I asked defensively.
“Listen,” he said, “Whenever we bring up a new topic, you’re pretty quick to state your opinion. And no one wants to argue with the governor. So why don’t you try being quiet for a while? Let them debate it before you speak, so they feel more free to share their opinions.”
The next day, I did exactly that.
It worked.
The more it became clear that I was listening, the more confident my staff became. They began to share more details and air differing views. I got more information that morning than I’d gotten in three weeks.
Proverbs 18:2 states, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” (ESV)
It was a humbling lesson for me – one I was glad to learn early in office!
Guest Post by John Dewenter Introduction: Have you ever thought about how you may have asked questions of...
Guest Post by Roy Peterson The pressure of leadership in the business and ministry world has taken its toll...
Guest Post by Dan Rockwell Leadership is more than getting things done. Leaders bring out the best in people....
Today is a Day of Remembrance! 22 years ago today, America was attacked. I am curious, if you were then...
Guest Post by Dr. Ron Harris Note from Bob: You can either view Dr. Ron Harris sharing his “Guest...
Guest Post by Keith Webb Originally published at keithwebb.com Questions are not all equal. Some questions...
Guest Post by Jeff Haden In one study, simply adding one of the three words to a sentence increased...