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“People are united by questions. It is the answers that divide them.” Elie Wiesel

I heard this quote recently and it resonated strongly for me. It made me think about how infrequently we are invited to provide input in a team setting by the simple question "What do you think?"


In some teams, I have felt as if I was waiting for a pause in other peoples' outpouring of answers to be able to share my views. The consequence of this was that I didn't listen carefully to the ideas put forward or I gave up altogether.


How powerful, then, for a leader to ask questions and elicit thoughts from the team, providing equal voice for everyone to feel listened to and heard. This creates an environment of inclusion and psychological safety, where team members can share ideas or question the current way of doing things without fear. I've often found that it is the quietest person in the room who has the most interesting suggestion, and having diverse input creates a better result.


While the answers may still not be to everyone's liking, the process of engaging in the discussion can go a long way to feeling empowered and part of the solution, united rather than divided.





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