Outside perspective reveals overlooked possibilities.

Too many organizations operate with a “Us 4 & No More!” mindset rather than a “Us 4 & How Many More?” mindset. They narrow their conversations, thus causing them to miss great ideas outside their vantage point. Before long, just a handful of people are making all the decisions with an ever-decreasing awareness of what is really happening underneath them. The higher leaders go, the more disconnected they become to the real issues.

However, great leaders disrupt this destructive trend. They fight to keep communication strong. They do this not by adding more meetings or by creating more layers. They do it by getting outside voices inside the conversation. No leader can know everything there is to know–it’s impossible. Therefore, great leaders get the right people, in the right room, to have the right conversations. When the right people, who are in the right room, having the right conversations, the right decisions are made. Who comes to a conversation is as important as what the conversation is about.

Here are four who’s every leader should be having conversations with:

Critics

We occasionally need critics in our conversations. Critics provide us a viewpoint we never see or feel. Most people silence critics by dismissing their opinion, but this avoidance only limits their perspective. It’s good to be challenged–it makes us take a hard look at our way of thinking. Critics give us a whole different vantage point we may need to consider. Even if their critique is off-base, we need to ask why they think the way they think. We need to ask what we are doing (or not doing) that makes them have this opinion. If you respond to criticism with a calm and collective approach you may find a nugget of wisdom in their critiques. However, if you react defensively or defiantly you may miss an overlooked possibility because of your bias. Don’t be distracted by critics, but don’t silence them altogether as well.

Coaches

Coaches provide a positive outside influence in our conversations. They have the ability to take our ideas from good to great. Coaching draws out the best from within us. It gives us an outside perspective that takes our thinking to a new level. We need people outside the battleground to guide us to our ultimate success. In almost every profession, high capacity individuals use a coach. Movie stars have acting coaches on set to help them in their roles; singers have vocal coaches during recording sessions, athletes have coaches during practices and on game day. And it’s not just those starting out in their occupation. Seasoned professionals continue to use coaches for the longevity of their career. Coaching gives us insight into how we are doing and what we need to do to get better. The more pivotal a conversation, the more you’ll need a coaches perspective. Make sure you are inviting coaches to help guide your decisions and ideas.

Consumers

The people that are directly impacted by your ideas, product, event, or services should have a voice. In fact, how can you truly know what conversation to have if you don’t have a representative of the very people that you’re having the conversation for? You need to hear from your direct consumers to have an accurate picture of their wants, desires, and pain points. Too many organizations get out of touch with the real challenges people are facing. It’s the curse of knowledge–we feel we know everything there is to know about our conversation even though culture always reinvents itself every three to five years. Without real people talking about the real problems, you can easily lose touch with reality–while living in an old reality. Proximity gives perspective; the closer you are to hearing from the people you serve, the greater possibilities you’ll discover.

Champions

Every project, every task, every initiative needs a champion or champions to oversee it. These champions have to be completely competent to lead. They are the ones with subject matter expertise. Never have a conversation without the people who are the inside champions of the cause. As you get outside voices remember to have the right inside voices as well. Many leaders fail to bring the right people into the conversation because they haven’t clearly identified who the inside champions will be. If you don’t have an inside champion that is in the know, there can be misguided ideas flying all over the room. Someone on the inside has to filter the outside voices in order to know how to assimilate all the information. An organization can’t move on every idea that is coming their way. Don’t allow your organization, or the people in it, to get distracted by the shiny objects all around. Remember, just because something could be done, doesn’t mean it should be done. Champions help direct discussions–they are the rudder of a conversation.