Hear: The Most Underrated Leadership Skill
Why solving the wrong problem is often worse than solving no problem at all.
Imagine a customer sends a two-sentence email:
"We're having issues with the latest update. Please call me."
Some people immediately start troubleshooting.
Others begin searching support tickets.
Someone schedules a meeting.
An engineer starts reviewing logs.
Everyone is trying to solve the problem.
The only problem?
Nobody actually knows what the problem is.
I've seen this happen thousands of times throughout my career. Organizations are full of intelligent, capable people who immediately jump into solution mode before they have a shared understanding of what they're solving.
Ironically, the faster an organization moves, the more expensive this mistake becomes.
Why solving the wrong problem is often worse than solving no problem at all.
Imagine a customer sends a two-sentence email:
"We're having issues with the latest update. Please call me."
Some people immediately start troubleshooting.
Others begin searching support tickets.
Someone schedules a meeting.
An engineer starts reviewing logs.
Everyone is trying to solve the problem.
The only problem?
Nobody actually knows what the problem is.
I've seen this happen thousands of times throughout my career. Organizations are full of intelligent, capable people who immediately jump into solution mode before they have a shared understanding of what they're solving.
Ironically, the faster an organization moves, the more expensive this mistake becomes.
Hearing Isn't Listening
One of the biggest misconceptions in business is that hearing and listening are the same thing.
They aren't.
Listening is passive.
Hearing is intentional.
When I talk about Hear in the HUBER Method™️, I don't mean politely waiting for your turn to speak.
I mean gathering enough information to understand the problem from multiple perspectives before deciding what to do next.
That means hearing:
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what was said,
-
what wasn't said,
-
what assumptions people are making,
-
what incentives exist,
-
who is affected,
-
and what success actually looks like.
Without that context, every decision becomes a guess.
One of the biggest misconceptions in business is that hearing and listening are the same thing.
They aren't.
Listening is passive.
Hearing is intentional.
When I talk about Hear in the HUBER Method™️, I don't mean politely waiting for your turn to speak.
I mean gathering enough information to understand the problem from multiple perspectives before deciding what to do next.
That means hearing:
- what was said,
- what wasn't said,
- what assumptions people are making,
- what incentives exist,
- who is affected,
- and what success actually looks like.
Without that context, every decision becomes a guess.
Why Organizations Skip This Step
In my experience, organizations skip hearing for three reasons.
In my experience, organizations skip hearing for three reasons.
1. They confuse speed with urgency.
Responding quickly isn't the same thing as responding well.
Responding quickly isn't the same thing as responding well.
2. Expertise creates assumptions.
The more experienced we become, the easier it is to assume we've seen this problem before.
Sometimes we have.
Sometimes we haven't.
The more experienced we become, the easier it is to assume we've seen this problem before.
Sometimes we have.
Sometimes we haven't.
3. People reward answers more than questions.
Leaders often feel pressure to have immediate solutions.
The best leaders I've worked with ask remarkably good questions before offering answers.
Leaders often feel pressure to have immediate solutions.
The best leaders I've worked with ask remarkably good questions before offering answers.
Questions Before Answers
Over the years, I found myself asking many of the same questions regardless of the situation.
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What problem are we actually solving?
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Who else is affected?
-
What assumptions are we making?
-
What information are we missing?
-
What changed?
-
What would success look like?
-
How would someone with a different perspective describe this situation?
Notice something interesting.
None of those questions solve the problem.
They define it.
That distinction matters.
Over the years, I found myself asking many of the same questions regardless of the situation.
- What problem are we actually solving?
- Who else is affected?
- What assumptions are we making?
- What information are we missing?
- What changed?
- What would success look like?
- How would someone with a different perspective describe this situation?
Notice something interesting.
None of those questions solve the problem.
They define it.
That distinction matters.
AI Makes This Even More Important
Artificial intelligence can summarize conversations, analyze data, and surface patterns faster than any human.
That's incredibly valuable.
But AI is only as good as the questions we ask and the information we provide.
If we misunderstand the problem, AI simply helps us reach the wrong conclusion faster.
Technology has dramatically improved our ability to process information.
It hasn't eliminated the need to understand it.
Artificial intelligence can summarize conversations, analyze data, and surface patterns faster than any human.
That's incredibly valuable.
But AI is only as good as the questions we ask and the information we provide.
If we misunderstand the problem, AI simply helps us reach the wrong conclusion faster.
Technology has dramatically improved our ability to process information.
It hasn't eliminated the need to understand it.
Hearing Is an Act of Respect
This may be the most overlooked part of leadership.
People want to feel understood before they feel persuaded.
Customers.
Employees.
Executives.
Partners.
Communities.
When people believe they've genuinely been heard, difficult conversations become easier, trust grows, and better decisions follow.
That's why Hear is the first step in the HUBER Method™️.
Not because listening is nice.
Because understanding is impossible without it.
This may be the most overlooked part of leadership.
People want to feel understood before they feel persuaded.
Customers.
Employees.
Executives.
Partners.
Communities.
When people believe they've genuinely been heard, difficult conversations become easier, trust grows, and better decisions follow.
That's why Hear is the first step in the HUBER Method™️.
Not because listening is nice.
Because understanding is impossible without it.
Closing
Before jumping into your next problem, ask yourself one question.
Have I gathered enough information to understand what's really happening, or am I simply responding to the first version of the story I've been told?
The answer may change everything that follows.
Before jumping into your next problem, ask yourself one question.
Have I gathered enough information to understand what's really happening, or am I simply responding to the first version of the story I've been told?
The answer may change everything that follows.
