Behind the Keynotes

What Leaders Get Wrong

The Illusion of Communication
Kim Scott highlights a major challenge in leadership: leaders often assume that communication has happened when it hasn’t. This illusion can lead to misunderstandings, unaddressed issues, and a disengaged team. 

Diminishing Leadership
Liz Wiseman explains that some leaders operate under the assumption that their teams cannot succeed without them. This results in:

• Micromanagement, which stifles creativity and reduces motivation.
• Tense work environments, where employees feel they must play it safe instead of taking initiative.
• Directive leadership, where leaders give orders rather than encourage discussion, leading to disengagement.
• Confusing decision-making, where leaders make quick decisions without ensuring clarity in execution.

Ineffective Feedback
Kim Scott points out that bad communication often results in poor or nonexistent feedback. When team members do not receive clear, constructive input, they struggle to improve.

Poor Conflict Management
Morten Hansen warns that mishandling conflict leads to dysfunctional communication. Common mistakes that leaders make include: stating opinions first, not encouraging dissenting views, using inflammatory language, and listening only to respond.

Ineffective Meetings
Morten Hansen notes that meetings often waste time because they lack a clear purpose or have too many attendees. Other times, meetings are unproductive due to overloaded agendas or poor time management.

How To Get It Right

Listening and Understanding
Chris Voss introduces two powerful techniques to improve communication for leaders to make sure their teams feel heard and understood :

• Mirroring – Repeating the last few words of what someone has said to encourage them to elaborate and ensure clarity.
• Labeling – Acknowledging others’ perspectives by saying, “It sounds like you have a reason for saying that,” which encourages deeper discussion.

Additionally, Kim Scott advises leaders to observe how their messages are received and adjust accordingly. If someone reacts with frustration or sadness, take time to show empathy. If someone brushes off feedback, challenge them more directly. Morten Hansen adds that you should listen to understand, rather than preparing a response while others are speaking.

Open and Constructive Feedback
Kim Scott emphasizes that both criticism and praise should be specific, sincere, kind, and clear. She also advises against using praise to soften criticism, as this diminishes the value of both. Additionally, she notes the importance of expressing appreciation for both good work and strong relationships and addressing problems early on, rather than letting issues build up over time.

To succeed with feedback, Kim suggests that leaders solicit feedback actively, reward employees for honesty, and ensure a psychologically safe environment where people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. Leaders should also model constructive feedback, demonstrating how to give and receive criticism effectively.

Inspiring Leadership
Liz Wiseman explains that multiplier leaders develop talent, encourage inquiry, and create an environment of intensity rather than tension. Key multiplier behaviors include asking questions instead of issuing directives, leading debates rather than making unilateral decisions, and trusting employees with ownership instead of micromanaging.

Further, Will Guidara explains that passion is contagious. Leaders who consistently express enthusiasm for an idea influence their teams over time. By speaking passionately and persistently, leaders can shape organizational culture and inspire action.

Managing Conflict
Morten Hansen advises that leaders should ask open-ended questions to encourage discussion. He also suggests inviting dissenting views and assigning a devil’s advocate to explore opposing perspectives. Additionally, he recommends scrutinizing the key assumptions behind decisions. Leaders should avoid inflammatory language, which makes discussions unproductive, and use informal settings to foster open, collaborative conversations.

Running Productive Meetings
Finally, Morten Hansen offers practical strategies for improving meetings:

• Eliminate unnecessary meetings that could be replaced by an email.
• Invite only essential participants to avoid wasting time.
• Keep agendas focused, covering only the most important topics.
• Reduce meeting lengths, tailoring the time to the complexity of the discussion.