Open Minds Win the Day
When leaders arrive with fixed answers, they limit what their teams can unlock.
“If your mind is already made up, the meeting is already over.” — Eric Wiley
The trap of showing up with finished answers
It’s good to prepare. But preparing your answers in advance—before hearing from people closest to the work—shuts the door on better solutions. It also signals that collaboration is optional, not essential.
Most teams can spot this instantly. The discussion becomes narrower. Participation drops. People stop offering what they truly see because it feels like the leader already decided where things are headed.
Why closed thinking breaks collaboration
Leaders aren’t supposed to carry every detail or every update. The work shifts too quickly—especially in a technology-heavy environment. Those doing the work today understand the current version of the problem far better than someone who solved the older version years ago.
When leaders show up with “the direction” already set, they unintentionally cut off the team’s leverage. They weaken buy-in. And they discourage the insight that only comes from people who are closest to the action.
Open-minded leadership doesn’t mean unprepared
Coming in open doesn’t mean coming in blank. It means bringing context, not conclusions. It means holding space for what you don’t yet know.
The best leaders carry a simple posture: “Here’s what I’m seeing, but I’m here to learn what I’m missing.” That sentence alone changes the quality of any meeting.
Practical ways to lead with an open mind
You don’t need a dramatic shift—just small, intentional moves that open the room instead of closing it. Try these plays:
- Start with questions, not conclusions. Ask what people closest to the work are seeing today.
- State your assumptions out loud. Then invite others to challenge or refine them.
- Delay your “take” until the end. It keeps the group engaged and prevents early anchoring.
- Make learning your first task. Leadership is easier when you let others inform the picture.
The power of leverage from inside the team
The modern workplace rewards leaders who enable—not leaders who prescribe. When your team feels invited into the problem, they bring sharper thinking and stronger ownership of the solution.
That leverage is lost the moment a leader shows up already convinced they know where things must go.
A mindset shift for meetings that actually work
Walk in thinking, “I might be wrong,” or “Someone here knows more than I do.” Those two thoughts alone reset the tone and make space for the real work: understanding the present-day version of the challenge, not the historical one.
That’s where meaningful progress starts.
Bottom line
Leadership isn’t about arriving with the answer. It’s about creating the space where the right answer can emerge. Open minds pull the best thinking from the team—and that’s how leaders actually lead.
— Eric Wiley
Wiley Performance Advisory
Your Wingman on the Next Big Push.