I used to think leadership was about being the person with all the answers.
You walk into the room with a plan, tell everyone what to do, and move full speed ahead.
But over time, I’ve realized that real leadership looks a lot different.
It starts with listening—really listening. Not just letting people talk so you can move on, but giving them space to speak up about the real problems they’re seeing and the ideas they have to make things better.
That’s 90% of the job.
The other 10% is where great leaders separate themselves.
They take in everyone’s input, let the team build on each other’s ideas, and they make a call. They pick a direction, and they move—one step at a time.
Not because they had all the answers to begin with, but because they took the time to understand the experiences of the people closest to them.
Great leadership starts with listening to your team. It ends with listening to your intuition.
Ben's Blog 