LeaderMap - Accepting New Ideas

Overcome Challenges to Incorporating Diverse Ideas

Welcoming and encouraging your subordinates to come to you with new ideas and approaches and then accepting those ideas is no easy task. Review the interaction below to learn more about these challenges and ways to overcome them.

Fear of Appearing Weak

Portrait of Sergeant Major Hagan

Many leaders perceive that, by asking for support from subordinates or other leaders, they will appear weak or indecisive.

Select the Soldier for an example of how one leader experienced and overcame this challenge.

Need to Be in Control

Portrait of Second Lieutenant Roberts

Leaders often feel that they need to be in full control of the situation and that, by looking elsewhere for ideas and support, they are foregoing that control.

Select the Soldier for an example of how one leader experienced and overcame this challenge.

Lack of Approachability/Receptiveness

Portrait of First Sergeant Sanders

Some leaders, whether knowingly or not, do not make an effort to be approachable and receptive to new ideas.

Select the Soldier for an example of how one leader experienced and overcame this challenge.

Army Rank and Organizational Structure

Portrait of Corporal Johnson

The overall Army rank and organizational structure can sometimes make it more difficult to have good ideas “float to the top” and be recognized by leadership.

Select the Soldier for an example of how one leader experienced and overcame this challenge.

Time Pressures

Portrait of Sergeant Mattull

Time pressures often prohibit leaders from taking the extra time required to seek and evaluate the ideas of others.

Select the Soldier for an example of how one leader experienced and overcame this challenge.

Fear of Appearing Weak (SGM Hagan)

Back when I was a new SGT, I started out leading the way I had been led – my superiors in the past had always made decisions on their own, or at least it seemed that way. I assumed the same should be true for me and made my decisions solo for a while. But then, I remember, we started having multiple IED explosions weekly. One of my superiors suggested I talk to my Soldiers to gather ideas about how to handle the situation. I remember saying to him, “Sir, I don’t want to come off weak in front of my men. Shouldn’t this be a decision I make?” His response: “You know what SGT, if I were you, I’d stop caring about what my Soldiers think about me and start caring about how to get the job done the best way that I can. Your Soldiers on the ground see a lot of things we never do. You’re not going to get ahead hanging on to that attitude.” That sure changed how I thought about things.

Need to Be in Control (2LT Roberts)

When I was commissioned from West Point and assigned as an infantry platoon leader last year, I came in and felt a little bit like I needed to prove myself. How to do that – control everything to a tee, right? When we deployed, that approach didn’t cut it. I had to start relying on my NCOs with prior deployment experience to help me out. When I did that, I realized I wasn’t “losing” control; I was gaining the respect and expertise I needed to have that control in the first place. I was also learning the importance of sharing some of those responsibilities as well.

Lack of Approachability / Receptiveness (1SG Sanders)

One of the company commanders I worked with had a hard-charging style. Basically, it was his way or the highway. I kept hearing from my Soldiers that this or that wasn’t going well within the company, and no matter how many times they went to the CPT with an idea for how to fix it, he would shut them down, telling them they weren’t trying hard enough. Once I heard enough of these complaints, I had a sit-down session with the CPT who I knew relatively well. We worked out a process where I’d help him field any new ideas brought up by the company Soldiers to determine if and how they could be implemented.

Army Rank and Organizational Structure (CPL Johnson)

Back when I was a PFC, I had a platoon sergeant who had a real “check the box” mentality. He wanted us to get in, do our job, and get out. Problem was, we weren’t seeing the results we needed to. He wouldn’t listen to any of my suggestions or those of my peers. We didn’t really think to go outside the chain of command to get him to change his ways, so we just did as we were told. It wasn’t until he went on R&R and a new platoon sergeant came in that we started changing some of our tactics and seeing results.

Time Pressures (SGT Mattull)

Even though my unit was usually over-tasked and always on the go, leadership made it a priority to set aside time during unit briefings and things like that for people to chime in with their feedback and ideas. Leadership normally couldn’t spend more than a few minutes on this, but even that was better than nothing. It let subordinates know that, even with the OPTEMPO as high as it was, their superiors still valued what they had to say.