{"id":38816,"date":"2017-11-14T04:45:39","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T10:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=38816"},"modified":"2017-11-14T04:45:39","modified_gmt":"2017-11-14T10:45:39","slug":"leadership-receptivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/leadership-receptivity\/","title":{"rendered":"One Essential Trait for Positive Leadership: Receptivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think about how you receive feedback, what comes to mind? Initially, you probably feel defensive. Your brain immediately goes to the most painful part about it, the aspect that makes us feel uncomfortable and makes us want to avoid it all together.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not how we grow, is it?<\/p>\n

Brain research shows that feedback can do funny things to us if we see it as a danger or a put-down. We go into the \u201cmoving away\u201d or \u201cmoving against\u201d mode of fight-or-flight. The brain gets biochemically goofy. That is why you see people get so defensive and go to great lengths to fight any feedback.<\/p>\n

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But remember, fight-or-flight only comes when there is a perceived danger. If we see feedback as dangerous in our minds, we will bristle and fight it. But if we perceive feedback as an unexpected windfall, like winning the lottery, we will seek it out and be open to it, and sometimes even pay for it. That is what good character does\u2014it hungers for feedback.<\/p>\n

To be the best you can be, you must develop a hunger for feedback and see it as one of the best gifts you can get. It is part of being an open system and has incredible value not only to you but also to your people.<\/p>\n

Going direct<\/h3>\n

I was conducting a leadership offsite retreat where the executive team members responsible for the agenda had asked me to try to maneuver the conversation toward a topic they all wanted to discuss but didn\u2019t want to state explicitly on the agenda. After a lot of discussion about why I had to \u201cmaneuver\u201d it that way instead of just intentionally designing it that way, the team confessed that their real goal was to sneak some tough feedback about the CEO onto the agenda, but in a way that would not throw him off or make him defensive.<\/p>\n

They feared that if the agenda were openly designed to give him feedback, it would never work. They hoped I would be able to \u201cgo there if the mood was right.\u201d I told them I understood their concerns but that I had a different plan to get the CEO into the right zone.<\/p>\n

So at the beginning of the meeting, I explained the \u201cphysics of leadership,\u201d and I explained why it is important for senior leaders to be an open system and model receiving feedback well in organizations. I emphasized that being open to feedback is a key indicator not only of leadership aptitude but also character. Remember, good character welcomes feedback and foolish character fights it off.<\/p>\n\t\t