Why Listening is the Key to Better Workplaces
Life is too short for bad workplaces. People spend more than 40 hours a week at work—too much time to settle for environments that don’t inspire, energize, or support them. Creating spaces where individuals thrive requires an approach that prioritizes listening over assumptions.
The best way to improve workplaces is to elevate the voices of those closest to the work. By applying research-backed methodologies and human-centered insights, organizations can uncover real challenges and create pathways for meaningful change.
Defining the Voice of Those Who Matter
Workplace transformation isn’t just about policy changes or new office layouts. It’s about ensuring that decisions are shaped by those most affected by them.
When major changes occur, the decisions are often made by individuals who don’t have full context of the day-to-day realities. Prioritizing the voices of those directly engaged in the work leads to solutions that are both practical and impactful.
This goes beyond collecting feedback—it’s about empowering individuals to be heard, understood, and included in shaping their work environment. True people-first leadership isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the outcome of real listening and intentional action.
Breaking the Fear Barrier: Leaders Don’t Have to Have All the Answers
One of the biggest obstacles to gathering and acting on employee feedback is fear. Many hesitate to ask for input because they’re afraid of what they’ll hear. “What if the problems are too big to solve?” “What if expectations can’t be met?”
However, the reality is that leaders don’t have to have all the answers. In fact, they shouldn’t. Their role is to facilitate collaboration and create space for solutions to emerge from within the organization.
Sometimes, just asking the right questions and listening gets an organization further than avoiding the conversation altogether. The challenges exist whether they are acknowledged or not. Addressing them is the first step toward building trust and finding a way forward.
Four Core Principles That Drive Change
Listening isn’t just a practice—it’s a guiding principle. Workplace transformation is built on these foundational ideas:
1. Lead with Listening
Listening isn’t passive—it’s an active leadership skill. The best decisions come from those who know how to ask the right questions and truly hear what’s being said.
2. Intellect and Accessibility
Workplace research can feel complex, but making it accessible is crucial. Using clear language, engaging visuals, and storytelling ensures that data is digestible and actionable.
3. Continuous Learning
A culture of curiosity is essential. Encouraging continuous learning—whether through reading, professional development, or open conversations—keeps organizations adaptable and innovative.
4. Comfort with Ambiguity
Real transformation isn’t straightforward. It requires the ability to sit in uncertainty, embrace complexity, and work through challenges with persistence and creativity.
Slowing Down to Speed Up: A Better Approach to Problem-Solving
One of the most powerful insights in workplace improvement is the need to separate problem defining from problem solving. Too often, organizations rush to implement solutions before fully understanding the real issue at hand. This results in wasted resources, band-aid fixes, and recurring challenges.
A structured approach begins with data collection—both qualitative and quantitative—to identify current challenges. Instead of jumping straight into solutions, findings should be presented and explored. Only after fully defining the problem should organizations move into collaborative problem-solving, involving individuals at every level.
This ensures that solutions are informed by those who will be most affected by them. It also helps avoid costly mistakes that arise from solving the wrong problem.
When the Real Problem Isn’t the Obvious One
A common theme in workplace research is that the problem initially identified often isn’t the actual issue. One of the most frequent requests in office environments is: “We need more space.” Leaders assume that teams need more meeting rooms or work areas, but further research often reveals a different reality.
Instead of a lack of space, the issue may be:
- Existing rooms aren’t the right size.
- Spaces aren’t equipped for hybrid meetings.
- Certain rooms feel unwelcoming due to poor lighting or design.
- Employees don’t feel comfortable using shared spaces due to unspoken territorial rules.
By uncovering these root causes, organizations can make targeted, effective changes rather than investing in unnecessary expansions.
The Power of Intentional Questions
Asking the right questions is an art. Not all data is meaningful—badly designed surveys or leading questions can actually do more harm than good.
For example, if a survey asks, “Where do you eat lunch?” and an employee answers, “At my desk,” that data alone tells very little. But in an interview, when asked the same question, the employee might respond with, “Ugh, at my desk.” A skilled researcher can pick up on that reaction and dig deeper:
- “It sounds like that’s not a positive experience. Can you tell me more?”
- “What would make it easier for you to take a real break?”
- “If you could change one thing about your lunch experience, what would it be?”
This level of depth leads to real insights—and real change.
Workplace Transformation Starts with Listening
Organizations that thrive are those that listen. When leaders embrace curiosity, invite diverse perspectives, and take action based on meaningful data, they create workplaces where people feel valued, heard, and empowered.
Listening isn’t just a soft skill—it’s a strategic advantage. By slowing down to understand the real challenges, designing intentional questions, and separating problem defining from problem solving, solutions can emerge that might never have been considered otherwise.
If workplaces are to become environments where individuals thrive, it starts with truly listening to the voices that matter. Because when that happens, the path to change becomes clear.
Listen to the episode: Gut + Science | Episode 266: Voice of The People Who Matter with Sam Julka + Meghan Tooman
Key Takeaways:
- Lead with listening. The most powerful thing an organization can do is create space for people to be heard.
- Separate problem defining from problem solving. Rushing into solutions without fully understanding the issue leads to wasted effort.
- Ask intentional questions. The way questions are framed determines the quality of the insights received.
- Be willing to sit with ambiguity. Transformation takes time, and real solutions come from embracing complexity.
Things to listen for:
[00:02:28] Definition of “the voice of the people who matter” and why it’s essential in workplace decision-making.
[00:05:51] The importance of ensuring research samples are truly representative of an organization.
[00:08:22] Challenging mindsets that prevent organizations from unlocking employee voices.
[00:09:28] Fear of hearing employee concerns and how leaders can shift their mindset.
[00:12:08] The value of acknowledging workplace challenges, even when solutions aren’t immediately available.
[00:17:47] The structured approach to problem-solving using design thinking.
[00:19:53] The importance of slowing down to define problems before jumping to solutions.
[00:22:14] The “analysis synthesis bridge” model to move from concrete to abstract thinking.
[00:26:28] The power of intentional questions and how they shape meaningful insights.
[00:30:50] The difference between surface-level survey responses and deeper, more revealing interviews.
[00:37:19] Key takeaways about leading with listening and using intentional questions to guide transformation.
