Some leaders feign that they are interested in what others think about an issue when, in fact, they have little interest or have already made the decision.
This masquerade rarely starts as manipulation. More often than not, the leader simply believes they know best, has strong convictions, or views consensus as compromise.
Over time, the leader settles into a pattern: consulting the team without any genuine openness to influence.
Unfortunately, once the habit has been well-established, it becomes obvious to everyone that the leader doesn’t really care what anyone else thinks.
The real cost isn’t typically bad decisions or missteps. It’s the negative impact this inquiry theatre has on how the team engages.
Once team members learn that their input isn’t taken seriously, they stop bringing their best thinking and offering their candid views. Trust breaks down, and they become suspicious about the real intent behind any question the leader asks.
Worse yet, team members find it easier just to agree with whatever the leader thinks rather than waste their time.
Entering any conversation with a conclusion that can’t be influenced is bad form. Once the matter has been settled in the leader’s mind, any conversation seeking input is a façade that undermines the leader’s credibility.
This doesn’t mean good leaders don’t land on viewpoints before discussing issues with the team. But when they do, they make explicit what they’ve already decided and what’s still open for input.
In some cases, good leaders admit they’ve reached a conclusion and just want to stress-test it for any unimagined risks or objections. That seems reasonable to the team.
But false openness is different.
Leaders who ask for input without any intention of being influenced teach people to keep their true opinions to themselves.
Candor across the team suffers tremendously. Once a leader’s inquiry is judged to be disingenuous, everything about how the team works together changes — and not for the better.
Good leaders don’t ask questions they know the answer to. They only seek input and opinion on those issues and decisions they remain open to.
While nearly every leader falls into false inquiry now and again, the best leaders recognize the pattern and break it immediately. They don’t seek opinions to give the impression of inclusion. They either include honestly or they don’t.
Ask yourself: How often do I seek opinions that are unlikely to influence me? If the answer is more than occasionally, you may have the nasty leadership habit of inquiry theatre.
Save the theatrics for the stage.
