As a leader, when is the last time you asked someone outside of your typical circle for their input? It can be easy to consult with the same handful of trusted colleagues over and over again. And that likely serves you well in many day-to-day situations. However, it may be important to branch out in one or more of the following situations:

1. • When you are about to make a new, important business decision
   
   
   • When the decision you make is going to impact other people (e.g., teammates, other departments, customers, stakeholders)
   
   
   • When a new process, initiative, or program requires buy-in in order to be implemented effectively
   
   
   • When a problem persists or a solution is not working as well as you hoped
   
   

What it Takes:

• • Being willing to slow down enough to consider additional inputs (not ideal for time-sensitive, urgent, or emergency situations)
  
  

• • Being comfortable with not knowing the answer yourself
  
  

• • Being humble and open to incorporating feedback and suggestions (not just checking a box); focus on getting it right vs. being right
  
  

Potential Benefits:

• • Enhance people’s sense of belonging and inclusion
  
  

• • Increase engagement and buy-in
  
  

• • Generate more creative/innovative solutions
  
  

• • Enhance the quality of product or experience
  
  

• • Proactively identify and mitigate unintended second and third order effects
  
  

• • Encourage collaboration and cooperation
  
  

Here are a few examples where I have seen this work well:

• • Implementing new technology or design – have engineers talk directly with end users to ensure common understanding of the problem and address glitches or problems that arise after initial implementation
  
  

• • Holding medical multidisciplinary team meetings – ensure accurate diagnosis and optimize a patient’s treatment plan
  
  

• • Evaluate onboarding/training program effectiveness – flattens the on-the-job learning curve; new team members feel welcomed, valued, and set up for success; training remains relevant as technology or business operations change over time
  
  

So, who might you invite to the table to help address a challenge your organization is facing?