Listening Is Not the Same as Including

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how often the people closest to a problem are the farthest from the decisions being made about it.

But there is another layer to that conversation.

Sometimes people are invited into the room. They are asked to share their experiences. They complete the survey, participate in the focus group, attend the meeting, or answer the questions.

The organization listens.

Then nothing changes.

That is when we have to acknowledge an uncomfortable truth:

Listening is not the same as including.

We can allow people to speak without allowing their knowledge to influence the outcome.