Why Should You Work on Being an Open-Minded Invitational Leader?
Leadership is an art. While some seem to be born with innate leadership abilities, the truth is that leadership skills can be learned and honed over time.
One key facet of effective leadership is developing an open-minded, invitational approach. As a leader, adopting this mindset and leadership style can transform how you empower your team, foster innovation, and drive results.
Below, we’ll explore why working on being an open-minded invitational leader should be a priority.
What is Open-Minded Invitational Leadership?
Open-minded invitational leadership is a leadership approach centered around curiosity, inclusivity, and bringing out the best in others. As the name suggests, it invites people in rather than shutting them down.
Some key qualities include:
- Open-mindedness – Being open and receptive to new ideas, perspectives, and possibilities. Avoiding snap judgments.
- Inclusivity – Making people feel welcomed, heard, and valued. Seeing diversity as an asset.
- Curiosity – Asking questions. Seeking to understand others before asserting your own views.
- Empowerment – Helping others develop strengths and talents. Letting team members take initiative.
- Positivity – Focusing on possibilities vs. problems. Seeing challenges as opportunities.
Unlike domineering styles, open-minded invitational leadership aims to tap into people’s full potential by creating a supportive, collaborative environment.
Why Adopt This Mindset? 6 Key Benefits
There are many advantages to embracing open-minded invitational leadership. Here are six of the top reasons to make developing this leadership style a priority:
1. Unlocks Innovation
Innovation thrives when people feel able to speak up, share wild ideas, and collaborate openly. Research shows that inclusive environments boost innovation by allowing diversity of thought to flourish.
As an open-minded leader, you invite people to brainstorm and iterate creatively. Rather than shutting down “out there” ideas prematurely, you explore possibilities. This sparks breakthrough thinking.
2. Engages and Empowers Employees
Employees want to be heard, valued, and empowered. An open-minded invitational approach makes people feel their ideas matter. By listening actively, being approachable, and inviting input, you engage employees.
You also empower them to develop their skills and talents. This intrinsic motivation is far more powerful than extrinsic motivators like rewards. Engaged, empowered teams will drive your business forward.
3. Fosters Stronger Connections and Teamwork
Lonely leaders are ineffective leaders. But it’s easy to feel isolated at the top. Adopting an open leadership style helps you connect authentically with your team.
Making people feel heard, appreciated, and welcomed fosters mutual understanding and trust. Strong connections translate into better collaboration and teamwork. You harness people’s unique abilities toward shared goals.
4. Develops Better Solutions
As a leader, you don’t have all the answers. Being open-minded means accepting that others may offer better solutions. Inviting constructive feedback and ideas forces you to look beyond your own narrow perspectives.
Input from varied viewpoints leads to more thoughtful strategies. The team feels invested since they helped shape decisions.
5. Promotes Growth Mindset Culture
Organizations thrive when people focus on growth and possibility rather than fearing failure. An open-minded invitational approach models a growth mindset.
By being curious and asking questions, you signal it’s okay not to have all the answers. Inviting creative solutions and highlighting progress made, you encourage continuous improvement. This spreads a culture where people feel safe to experiment, learn, and reach their potential.
6. Adapts to Change
Today’s world changes fast. Static, authoritarian leaders struggle in this environment. Being dogmatic and rejecting other’s perspectives blinds you to shifts.
In contrast, open-mindedness prepares you to detect changing needs and trends early. You adapt faster by inviting diverse views on the best way forward. This antifragile leadership leads to higher performance amid volatility.
How to Become a More Open-Minded Invitational Leader
Becoming an open-minded invitational leader takes self-awareness and consistent effort. Here are some tips for developing this leadership style:
Practice active listening. When others speak, make eye contact. Reflect back on key points. Ask clarifying questions rather than making assumptions. Avoid interrupting. Listen to understand, not just reply.
Demonstrate openness. Don’t just say “I welcome ideas”, show it. Thank people for sharing input. React calmly if you disagree, don’t get defensive. Admit when they make good points you hadn’t considered.
Keep asking “What if?” Invite possibilities by asking “what if” frequently. What if we tried x? What if we looked at it this way? What if the opposite were true? What if our assumptions changed? What if anything were possible?
Assume positive intent. Don’t immediately judge dissenting perspectives. Pause and assume others have good intentions until proven otherwise. Seek first to understand by asking why they see things that way.
Highlight achievements. Praise effort and progress. Have team members share success stories. Show you value gradual improvement, not just end results.
Model vulnerability. Share when you’ve changed your mind or were wrong. Ask for help when needed. Show you don’t have all the answers. It’s okay to say “I don’t know”.
Promote psychological safety. Make it clear people won’t be blamed for honest mistakes or input. Invite ideas without pressure to be “right”. Offer encouragement even when suggestions don’t pan out.
Keep learning. Read books on lean leadership styles. Attend seminars on open communication and growth mindset. Continually work on being more open-minded. The journey never ends.
Common Roadblocks and How to Overcome Them
Making major mindset shifts is hard. You’ll likely encounter roadblocks on the path to becoming an open-minded invitational leader. Being aware of common pitfalls helps you proactively avoid them.
Roadblock: Fear of losing control
Solutions: Remember that listening to new perspectives doesn’t equate to losing control. You still make final decisions. Seek “creative control” through collaboration.
Roadblock: Feeling threatened by different views
Solutions: Don’t take disagreement personally. Expect a diversity of thought. Remind yourself that lively debate leads to better solutions.
Roadblock: Impatience with lengthy discussions
Solutions: Rushing to judgment limits insights. Remind yourself that complex issues require a deep examination of trade-offs. Better to have thorough debates upfront than re-work bad solutions later.
Roadblock: Tendency to reject ideas that don’t align with your views
Solutions: Catch yourself if you dismiss ideas that don’t match your own. Consider the merits of each idea, not just those you intuitively favor. Remain open to having your mind changed.
Roadblock: Habit of interrupting others
Solutions: Interrupting signals you aren’t listening. Catch yourself before interrupting. Take a breath. Let them finish speaking before responding.
Roadblock: Forgetting to ask follow-up questions
Solutions: Jot down questions as others speak so you remember. Paraphrase what you heard and ask if you understood correctly. The goal is learning, not just stating your perspective.
With self-awareness and intention, you can overcome these roadblocks and gradually shift toward open-minded invitational leadership. Be patient with yourself. Change takes time but is well worth the effort.
Leading with Openness: 3 Real-World Examples
Seeing open-minded invitational leadership in action illustrates its power. Here are a few real-world examples of leading with openness and curiosity:
Pixar’s Brain Trust
Pixar built a culture of candid feedback through “The Brain Trust”, a peer-review process where directors openly discuss works-in-progress. Giving and receiving constructive criticism is expected. This fosters idea refinement. Teams are safe to push creative boundaries without fear of failure. Openness allows the best ideas to surface.
Mayo Clinic’s “Ask Mayo Anything” tool
The Mayo Clinic created an internal forum called “Ask Mayo Anything” to invite new ideas from all staff. Leaders respond to ~100 queries daily on proposed improvements. Staff feel engaged in shaping Mayo’s future. Fresh perspectives help evolve their healthcare services.
Intuit’s unstructured time
Software company Intuit allows engineers to spend 10% of their work time on anything. Some create innovative new solutions. This “unstructured” time sparks novel thinking by giving people space to explore ideas. Openness to experimentation drives Intuit’s prosperity.
In each case, openness to new inputs paved the way for game-changing innovations.
Key Takeaways on Developing Open-Minded Invitational Leadership:
- Open-minded invitational leadership centers on curiosity, inclusion, and empowerment.
- Benefits include greater innovation, employee engagement, adaptability to change, and better solutions.
- Leaders should focus on listening, asking “what if”, welcoming diverse views, highlighting progress, and modeling vulnerability.
- Roadblocks like defensiveness and interrupting should be addressed through self-awareness and establishing habits like paraphrasing.
- With patience and practice, you can adopt this leadership style and see powerful results.
The path to becoming an open-minded invitational leader isn’t always smooth but pays dividends. By showing you genuinely welcome diverse views, you tap into the full potential of your team and organization.
An openness to possibility ripples through your culture, driving innovation and growth. While challenging at times, making progress towards this leadership approach will future-proof your ability to thrive in an uncertain world.
