In times of change, engaging in two-way conversations with associates becomes more critical than ever. It informs my thinking, demonstrates that I'm listening with an open mind, helps me plan for a stronger, collective future, and keeps me open to what I can and can't control within our business. It can also rattle a leadership team and undermine performance if not well managed. Skip-level conversations open the CEO’s door for misdirection and can result in the infamous “end run” where an employee runs around their leader to get a different opinion from the CEO. Here are my rules of thumb for getting the benefits while avoiding potential pitfalls:
Recognize Your Accountabilities
The CEO may be the singular role in a company that sits in the intersection between business performance and organizational health, strategy and execution, long-term and short-term. It is your job to work these intersections to build a vibrant company. You can’t abdicate this responsibility – it is uniquely yours.
Go Where Value is Created
Business is more distributed and matrixed than ever. I spend my listening tours where value gets created – at the forefront of our business. I also work down, up, and across our org chart to keep a pulse on team health. I search for what motivates our people, what they are most passionate about, what the constituencies look like, and who the influencers and resistors might be. I look for common themes and opportunities to pressure test them against the outliers.
Avoid 1x1s in Favor of Group Meetings
This can help you get more coverage and be as efficient with your time and theirs as possible. You get to play with the interchange of ideas and avoid the risks of misdirection and end runs. More important, you reinforce an inclusive work environment where different perspectives are valued and where you are doing the learning, not the other way around.
Provide Disclosure to Your Leadership Team – Before and After
The risks of misdirection and “end runs” in skip-level conversations are very real and very costly. My best antidote: Disclose who you are talking to and what you will be talking about, both before and after the meeting. This builds trust with your team.
Don’t Just Listen, Seek an Opinion
I approach each listening conversation with a deliberate learning agenda, ensuring clarity on the insights and advice I seek. I’m not searching for complaints but insights and answers. I also make it clear that everyone’s opinions count and that "I don't have an opinion" is not an acceptable answer.
Don’t Be Defensive
Having a learning agenda also helps me stay on offense to make our company better.
I work to listen more than I speak, stay neutral about perspectives that might challenge my thinking, and bring as much humility and transparency to the table as possible – particularly when I may be wrong.
Trying to be right or appear credible at all times can hold leaders back, so I’m working to recognize those patterns in my own leadership and let them go.
Shutdown the End Run
I will not step between a leader and their team when it comes to direction setting. In the unusual case that I do take 1x1s, I am super clear on my intent. I can offer a listening ear, questions to consider, and sometimes general advice – but I won’t provide direction or instruction. And, if I suspect that an employee may try an end run, I’ll get their leader in the room.
Make Listening Sessions Part of Your Leadership Rhythm
I try to make these conversations part of how I work every day rather than treating them as additional items on my to-do list I might struggle to find time to accomplish.
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