Lead Like a Bird

Writing for Inc. Magazine online, workforce performance expert Henna Pryor made up a term that is not only poetic, but useful for any leader. She says “birdsong leadership” is a way to make your employees feel safer and become more productive.

She writes, “I was listening to the birds on my back porch last week and found myself curious about why that sound was so incredibly relaxing. According to Google, there are a few reasons for that, but the one I found most interesting is safety.

Did you know birds don’t sing when predators are around? Your reptilian brain has learned to associate birdsong with the feeling of not being in immediate danger. You hear it, and you make a subconscious connection to safety and feel more relaxed and at peace.”

When leaders provide a safe environment (not just physically safe, which is another concept altogether), they create a space where workers feel empowered to speak up, ask questions, voice opposing opinions, think out loud, and make mistakes. Read that list again, slowly. Then ask yourself how safe you feel doing any or all of those things in your current workplace.

Most of the rank and file don’t feel safe doing them at all.

Pryor says that leaders should make it a practice to signal safety (sing like a bird) loudly and continuously to create an environment where everyone feels free to make noise. Here are her tips.

Encourage people to ask questions. Then listen carefully and take them seriously. There really is no such thing as a dumb question; every question has value, even if it appears the questioner doesn’t grasp the current issue. “How do we know our customers don’t like our current website?” is not only a valuable question, but an essential one before you plan a six-figure overhaul of your online presence.

For every person who has the courage to ask a question (especially a “dumb” one), there are three people in your audience who were afraid to ask but definitely want to hear the answer. Start off your reply with “That’s a great question; I bet others want to know as well.”Questions are a way to clarify information and start a dialogue about what’s important.

Normalize mistakes. That should start with you. It can be hard to admit you messed up, but your vulnerability in saying so will help your team trust you more. How you handle the mistake is an even more important signal. Do you own up to your part in it, or make excuses or pass blame onto someone else.? It’s helpful to tell your team, “I took action based on the best information we had at the time. But now we know more, and I’ll have to walk back that decision. There’s no shame in using your best judgment under uncertain conditions.” The real mistake is covering up bad news or doubling down once you know you should change course. Pryor says your mantra should be “mistakes are part of the process.”

Ask for and act on feedback. Your team knows things you don’t know; they see things you don’t. They’re in the trenches, closer to the problems, and they have ideas for making things more efficient and better for your customers and clients. Leaders should regularly ask for examples of problems that haven’t been able to be solved at the staff level – how can I help? Another great question is “how can I make your job easier right now?”

If you think “birdsong” or constant chatter is too much of a change to your personal style, consider this. When something bad is happening, the first clue is silence and closed-door meetings among the managers. If things are on track and running pretty smoothly, open your door and chat up your team members.  Here’s a relaxing video of bird songs to relax and inspire you.