Member-only story
I screwed up!
I recently worked directly with a more junior colleague on a briefing for senior management. During our first discussion, I was pressed for time and did not fully digest the ask. I asked my colleague to change what he had proposed. He tried to tell me I was wrong, but I did not hear it and reiterated the changes I said we needed. At our second discussion, as we discussed the briefing slides, I realized my mistake. My colleague said he tried to tell me, but I wouldn’t listen.
This hurt! Not because of what my colleague had said, but because I failed. I have always prided myself on being an approachable boss. Someone who does not know all the answers, and someone a colleague can share their frank views with. In this case, he could not, and I am at fault.
I believe what happened is known as the cockpit gradient effect — a leadership situation in which junior or less experienced crew members hesitate to question or correct the decisions of a more senior crew member (typically the captain) due to concerns about hierarchy, authority, or fear of negative consequences.
Even as I work harder to be conscious of my own leadership gap, I also believe the solution also lies in the hands of my colleagues. Learning from the aviation industry, I will work to implement the two-challenge rule. This rule encourages…
