Leadership: Misquito Frequency
Every day, signals are being sent all around us. In our homes. In our businesses. Within the teams we lead. Inside our own hearts. Do the signals exist? Are we (still) capable of hearing them? That brings us to one of the most fascinating discoveries in human hearing: the Mosquito Frequency.
The Sound Many Adults Cannot Hear
The "Mosquito" is a high-frequency sound, typically around 17.4 kHz, designed around a well-documented phenomenon called age-related high-frequency hearing loss. Many teenagers and younger adults can hear the tone clearly, while many older adults cannot hear it at all. The sound is present for everyone. Yet only some can perceive it.
When this technology became widely known, people were surprised to discover that two people standing in the exact same location could experience completely different realities. One would hear an irritating high-pitched sound. The other would hear complete silence.
REMINDER: There is a profound leadership lesson buried within this fact - The absence of awareness does not mean the absence of a signal.
Leadership Has Its Own Mosquito Frequencies?
Organizations constantly transmit signals. Some are loud and obvious:
Declining sales
Employee turnover
Customer complaints
Missed production goals
Others are nearly silent:
A disengaged employee
A lack of innovation
Increased tension during meetings
The employee who stops contributing ideas
The customer concern nobody takes seriously
FOOTNOTE: Insert 'my family' in place of 'organizations'.
The strongest leaders learn to detect both. Unfortunately, many leaders become so focused on quarterly reports, strategic plans, and future objectives that they stop paying attention to what is actually happening around them. Like the mosquito frequency, the signals are still there. We simply stop hearing them.
FOOTNOTE: Think about your family here as well. One strange thing learned along the way. They more than likely do not care about your great leadership ability 'on the field'. Frankly, they may not want a lesson from you about it. This is where silent leadership comes in.
Is Age the Problem?
Not necessarily. The science behind the mosquito frequency demonstrates that hearing capabilities change with age. However, leadership effectiveness does not decline automatically with birthdays. In many ways, leadership improves through age and experience. Wisdom grows. Perspective deepens. Relationships strengthen. Judgment becomes more refined. The greater threat isn't age. The greater threat is complacency. A leader can become dull at 35. A leader can remain sharp at 85.
The determining factor is not age. It is awareness.
Age is just a number.
REMINDER: The moment 'Greatest' leaders believe they have all the answers, their ability to hear new signals begins to diminish.
Intuition Versus Discernment
Leadership expert John Maxwell teaches what he calls the "Law of Intuition," suggesting that experienced leaders develop an ability to sense what's happening around them through accumulated experience, observation, and understanding of people and organizations.
Intuition is important. But intuition is only half the equation.
Intuition senses.
Discernment interprets.
An intuitive leader says:
"Something doesn't feel right."
A discerning leader asks:
What am I seeing?
What am I hearing?
What evidence supports this?
What am I missing?
What is the root cause?
REMINDER: Intuition may identify the signal. Discernment determines the proper response. Great leaders use intuition as an early warning system and discernment as a decision-making framework.
Why Leaders Lose Their Edge
Do most leaders fail because of what they know? Do they fail because of what they stop noticing? Perhaps. Often this happens when:
Success replaces curiosity
Experience becomes arrogance
Position creates distance
Busyness replaces observation
Certainty replaces listening
REMINDER: 'Greatest' leaders never assume they can hear every frequency. Instead, they actively seek perspectives from others. They ask younger (or older) employees. They listen to customers. They invite honest feedback. They stay teachable. When making a public mistake apologize publicly.
Three Steps to Better Leadership (On the field and at home)
1. Slow Down and Listen
Most signals are missed because leaders are too busy to notice them. Walk the floor.
Meet with employees.
Ask questions without an agenda.
The quality of your leadership is often determined by the quality of your listening.
2. Seek Signals, Not Just Results
Results tell you what happened.
Signals tell you what's about to happen.
Pay attention to morale, engagement, innovation, communication, and culture.
What seems small today often becomes significant tomorrow.
3. Develop Discernment Daily
Combine intuition, facts, wisdom, prayer, counsel, reflection, and experience. The goal is not simply to hear more. The goal is to understand more. Discernment transforms information into wisdom.
A Final Thought Toward a Greatest Life
Does the greatest lesson from the mosquito frequency have very little to do with hearing? Or, does it has everything to do with awareness? Life is constantly sending us signals:
A child asking for attention.
A spouse needing encouragement.
A friend who is struggling, again.
A teammate longing to be recognized.
An opportunity waiting to be seized.
A lesson waiting to be learned.
A calling waiting to be answered.
REMINDER: Too often, we become distracted by noise and miss what matters most. So, are the greatest leaders, the greatest parents, the greatest spouses, and the greatest people those who speak the loudest?
Or, are they those who listen the deepest?
So, here, we, go....... A greatest life is built one signal at a time. Stay humble enough to learn, and hungry enough to spring forward this very day. Staying curious enough to ask, discerning enough to understand. And, never-ever stop listening for the frequencies others may have missed.
Great2Greatest is a executive leadership and coaching service lead by Joe Simon. We believe having a healthy balance to life, leadership, and, living is an essential part to a true greatest level of success. More about Great2Greatest: joesimon.solutions . Contact Joe: js@joesimon.solutions
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