3 Ways You Can Scale a Culture of Listening
I often say that relationships don’t scale, but culture does. And yes, I still agree with that.
One of our Radical Candor podcast listeners recently asked a question a lot of managers of large teams grapple with: How can you have effective one-on-one meetings with 30 to 50 direct reports, especially in a manufacturing environment where private spaces might not even be available?
I love this question because the reality is: you just can’t have 50 real, deep, meaningful relationships. Human beings do not scale. So, what can you do?
Step One: Build an Ideas Team
One of the most important goals of a one-on-one meeting is to listen. And when you can’t listen to every person every week, you have to find a scalable way to create a culture of listening. That’s where an ideas team comes in.
The ideas team gives everyone a way to submit suggestions, complaints, and broken processes — from furniture to strategy — without overwhelming the manager. The team figures out which ideas have the most impact and makes a few prioritized asks of the manager. This lets the team self-manage a bit. It’s not a place for interpersonal complaints — those should be handled directly, with Radical Candor.
You can use a shared document, a physical box, or even a big piece of paper on the wall where people vote on ideas. The key is to ensure everyone has a way to be heard.
This approach isn’t just emotionally meaningful — it’s good business. The best ideas come from the people on the shop floor. I’ll never forget the story from a telecommunications company using Joyous (no financial relationship, just admiration). Their field techs kept reporting that a certain wrench — used 20% of the time — wasn’t stocked in vans. Once it was, efficiency soared. Happiness and innovation go hand in hand.
Step Two: Management by Walking Around
Another approach I recommend is walking around. This is not a new idea — Abraham Lincoln did it!
Block an hour a week — or even a day — and just walk. Ask people how they’re doing, what’s broken, or what you could stop doing to make their day better. When I did this at Google, I once pushed a misplaced couch back into position. A teammate jokingly said, “You got a new job?” But it sparked a cultural norm: we move the couches. Years later, that phrase is still alive on that team.
But be aware: the first time you do this, people may think they’re in trouble. You have to prove over time that you’re walking around to help — not to punish.
Step Three: Make Time for Focused One-on-Ones
Even with a huge team, you still want personal time. Here’s what I recommend:
- Schedule three 15-minute one-on-ones per day.
- Spread them out — you’ll go from consoling one person to strategizing with the next, and emotional whiplash is real.
- Ask people to bring an agenda. If they don’t have one, give them three minutes of silence to think. You’d be surprised what emerges.
- Spend 12 minutes listening — really listening. Don’t jump to fix-it mode. Help them think through solutions.
- Use the last 3 minutes to solicit feedback: What can I do or stop doing that would make your day better?
Remember: listening is not doing nothing. It’s an active, intentional practice. It’s like listening to music — not as background noise, but as a full-body experience.
And if you can create a culture where people feel heard — even when you can’t meet with everyone every week — you’ll have a much more resilient, efficient, and happy team.
Let’s move the couches, together.
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Radical Respect is a weekly newsletter I am publishing on LinkedIn to highlight some of the things that get in the way of creating a collaborative, respectful working environment. A healthy organization is not merely an absence of unpleasant symptoms. Creating a just working environment is about eliminating bad behavior and reinforcing collaborative, respectful behavior. Each week I’ll offer tips on how to do that so you can create a workplace where everyone feels supported and respected. Learn more in my new book Radical Respect, available wherever books are sold! You can also follow Radical Candor® and the Radical Candor Podcast more tips about building better relationships at work.
