We say we want leaders who listen. But if we’re being honest, a lot of what we call “listening” is really just waiting for our turn to respond. Or scanning the engagement survey results and then, do nothing. Or hosting an overly scripted town hall. Or asking employees for feedback once a year, checking the box, and moving on.
But real listening?
That requires better questions. Simpler questions. Braver questions.
Questions like:
- What’s not working?
- Where are you stuck?
- What are we pretending not to see?
And maybe the most important one for senior leaders to ask themselves:
- How did we get these results in the first place?
My special guest today is Dr. Adam Hickman, VP of Employee Development, Talent Management, and HRIS with Partners / The Walt Disney Company, and he’s simplifying how to listen like a (real) leader.
We tackle and simplify all aspects of it, including:
- Why he believes we don’t actually have a listening problem, we have a question problem.
- Why leaders often avoid asking the most basic questions, even when those questions could reveal what’s really broken at work.
- What to do after your engagement survey results come in, so feedback turns into action instead of another forgotten report.
- The art of asking great questions, and why leaders should not always start with the end in mind.
- And how to reframe engagement as a real performance driver, while also letting go of the myth that people need to show up as all-star workers every single day.
Q: Are you wanting to listen like a (real) leader? If yes, this one is for you.
It’s time to #DoTheThing!
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<What’s catching my eye this week>
- 3 hours of (free) focus music for deep concentration - Quiet Quest - Study Music
- Mary’s book is out now! Buy Squash the Sunday Scaries: A Modern Playbook to Rebuild Trust, Transform Culture, and Reignite Your Workforce on Amazon now or your favorite bookstore!
- Hire Mary Baird, PHR to help you run a 30-day Employee Experience Accelerator to listen better to your workforce, rebuild trust in your senior leadership and improve culture at work - The Simplifiers
- 50 powerful questions to help you reflect - The Institute of You
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My challenge for you this week:
How are you going to take what you’ve learned in today’s episode and take action to listen like a (real) leader? What’s one thing you’ll do differently? Share it with me, privately or publicly. Snap a photo of you doing the thing, and send me a DM over on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesimplifiers) for added accountability and support!
Links, books and apps mentioned:
Resource: Find Dr. Adam Hickman on LinkedIn - click here
Book: Work Stronger: Resilient Bodies, Focused Minds, Stronger Careers - Dr. Adam Hickman, Dr. Michael Finamore
Book: Design Love In: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business - Marcus Buckingham
Podcast: How to build a talent strategy that thrives in uncertainty, featuring Steve Cadigan - The Simplifiers Podcast
Podcast: How to squash the Sunday Scaries (guided visualization) - The Simplifiers Podcast
Mary’s New Book is Out NOW on Amazon!
My new book, Squash the Sunday Scaries: A Modern Playbook to Rebuild Trust, Transform Culture, and Reignite Your Workforce, is out now — and you can buy it today on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your favorite independent bookstore. It’s written for HR leaders, people managers, and anyone ready to make work better in a practical, human way. If you’ve been looking for simple tools to improve employee experience, rebuild trust, and create better results for your people and your business, this book is for you. Learn more, visit: https://squashthesundayscaries.com
About Dr. Adam Hickman:
Adam Hickman, Ph.D. - He is Vice President of Employee Development, Talent Management, and HRIS at Partners, serving The Walt Disney Company. A former leader of Gallup, he specializes in leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and talent strategy.
Adam is an international keynote speaker, just returning from Australia, university professor, author, OnCon Top 100 L&D Professional finalist, and a CDO Magazine Top 50 Data Training & Talent Champion.
Where Adam hangs out online:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamghickman
Website: https://adamhickman.com
Adam’s vote for the perfect guest on The Simplifiers Podcast:
Dr. Sandra Peter - She is a strategy and futures leader, board advisor, Director of Sydney Executive Plus, and Associate Professor at the University of Sydney Business School. Her work focuses on helping leaders engage with the future in productive ways, with a particular focus on emerging technologies, AI, and their impact on business and society. She has led strategic initiatives and executive programs with business, research organizations, government, and defence. Sandra is also a speaker, media contributor, and co-author of the annual Skills Horizon report, which explores the skills leaders and executives need to navigate the decade ahead.
