Is It Possible to be Too Open Minded?

“My boss tells everyone that he always has an open door,” an employee recently told me. “Technically he is correct in his statement. His door is always open. The problem is his mind is shut tight.” The employee went on to add, “My boss is horrible at accepting feedback and assumes he is always right–even in areas in which he has absolutely no expertise.” This is too bad because, by constantly having a closed mind, that boss is short changing himself and his team.

Would your employees describe you as a leader who has an open mind?

The ability to change your mind is an essential quality of leadership. Leaders with open minds are often described as humble or flexible. Humility and flexibility are almost always positive leadership attributes. But not all the time. At the other end of the spectrum are the leaders who are wishy-washy, always trying to please everyone, and can’t make a decision. Minds that are always either 100 percent closed, or 100 percent open, are not fit for leading.

First, let’s look at the benefits of having an open mind:

1. You listen:When you listen, you learn things. Another benefit of listening is it indirectly tells the people who are speaking that you care about them and that you value their opinion.
2. You’re able to change your mind or change your decision:When Austin Klipinger, of Klipinger Publishings, asked the Economist, Dr. Paul Samuelson about his reversed statement on inflation being desirable to promote growth, Dr. Samuelson responded, “Well when events change, I change my mind.” He then asked Mr. Klipinger, “What do you do?”
3. You’re confident:Only confident people can have an open mind and feel good about changing their opinion when they receive new information. People who lack confidence tend to defend what they’ve said or done to their deaths.
4. You’re approachable:When people feel you’re approachable and can incorporate different points of view into your decisions, people are much more comfortable coming to you with information.
5. You make better decisions:When you have the ability to incorporate new information and many different points of view, you ultimately have the ability to make a better decision.

How can you reap the benefits of being a leader with an open mind?

1. Thank people:Let people know you are grateful that they care enough about you to bring you information that’s different from what you currently believe.
2. Take action:You can listen, nod your head in agreement, and thank people for the new information, but if you don’t take action on the new information, you’ll gain zero points for having an open mind.
3. Give credit:When someone provides you with information that demonstrates a need for you to be more flexible or change your mind, give credit where credit is due. Say something along the lines of, “This is a great idea, but I can’t take credit for it. It’s so-and-so’s idea and I’m excited about having the team implement this solution.”
4. Provide an explanation:If you change your mind, explain to people the basis for the change in your decision. Give others the new facts or the new information that created the need to change your decision or solution.
5. Ask yourself two questions:When you feel adamant that you are right and there is no reason to change your opinion or decision, give yourself one last test. Ask yourself, “What if I’m not right? And, what if there’s a better way to do this?” These two questions will make you more receptive to information that’s different from what you already believe.

Theoretical physicist Richard Feynman once said, “Keep an open mind, but not so much that your brain will fall out.” In leadership there’s a healthy balance between having an open mind and having a closed mind. We know that having an open mind can be positive, but how do you know when to close your mind and stand strong on an issue? Here are three signs:

1. The decision goes against core values:If an employee asks you to lower your quality standards or to communicate dishonestly, you need to take a strong stand and respond with a closed mind and a lack of flexibility.
2. You find yourself becoming too easily swayed:I’ve heard some team members joke about their boss and say that, “You had better be the last person in to see her or her support of your initiative may be heading in a different direction depending on who met with her last.” When you are easily swayed by many people with many different positions because all of the viewpoints make sense to you, then you have become too flexible and you need to make a choice and take a stand.
3. When the short-term decision is easy, but the long-term impact is bad:For example, not giving a difficult employee feedback is both easy and pleasurable. Avoiding the employee is easy. Putting off the needed feedback under the guise of obtaining more insight about the behavior is easy, but the long-term impact is devastating for you, your team, and the business. Take a strong stand and do the right thing.

When you thank people for bringing you information that doesn’t agree with what you already know, take action on the information when appropriate and last, take a stand and make a decision in a timely manner, you will be described as an approachable leader with an open mind.