Guide the decision
When Young needs to make a decision that involves key people in the organization, he receives input from those people and they have a healthy discussion. Young won’t share his opinion unless it’s needed.
“I purposely don’t let people know where I want the decision to go,” he says. “I’d rather have them come up with it. … I feel that’s part of leadership.
“If you can get buy-in and feel that others have made that decision, I think that’s important. The way you do that is just talking things out.”
You can guide the conversation, but you don’t want to let it be known you have chosen a side in the discussion. Once the decision is made, you don’t necessarily need to take ownership of it.
“I don’t think in leadership that people need to know that you have made the decision,” he says. “There can be subordinates and others in the organization. As long as you buy in to that decision, let them think that they’re the ones that made the final decision.”
If the discussion is veering off in a way that is getting away from the main topic, he will bring everyone back on course. But he still will keep his opinion to himself.
“Because I realize one of the things when you’re leading, whether you are the president of one organization or even the leader of a committee, often people want to hear your opinion and then they’ll buy in to that opinion,” he says. “But that doesn’t always make the best decision.
“I don’t want people to agree just for the sake of agreeing. That is something that you need to convey to your employees, and then have them buy in to it. If I say something is red, and it’s really blue, I want them to tell me that.”
To reach that level of comfort will take time, so you have to continually work at it.
“It’s easier if they’re not sure where I am on an issue,” he says. “They’ll open up a little bit more. That’s where I think the best discussions take place.”