The £200k Lesson Every Leader Needs: Listening, Asking Questions, and Asking the Right Questions

Sep 4

3 min read

Every few months, an employment tribunal lands in the headlines with a big number attached, £50k here, £120k there, and in this recent case, £200,000 for a probation‑related dismissal that went very, very wrong.

But if you strip away the legal jargon, the HR processes, and the dramatic details, these cases often come down to something surprisingly simple:

Nobody listened. Nobody asked questions. And nobody asked the right questions.

This isn’t just an HR problem. It’s a leadership problem. And it’s one that costs organisations' far more than money.

Let’s talk about why listening and curiosity are becoming two of the most important leadership skills in modern workplaces — especially when neurodiversity is part of the picture.

Listening isn’t ust a Soft Skill! It’s a Risk Strategy

We talk about listening like it’s a nice-to-have. A personality trait. Something you sprinkle into a leadership development programme. But listening is preventative. And I don't just mean listen to answer. I mean, listen to listen. Listen to understand. Listen to be curious.

In the tribunal case behind that £200k headline, the employer didn’t listen to:

the employee’s disclosure
her requests for support
the signs that the environment wasn’t working
the impact of pressure during probation

Listening isn’t passive. It’s active, intentional, and deeply practical. It's the difference between someone underperforming or soaring. When leaders don’t listen, they escalate. When they escalate, they make assumptions. And when they make assumptions, they create risk. Listening is the cheapest reasonable adjustment in the world. Ignoring is the most expensive. And let's be fair, if you have listened to our podcast, very few of our suggested adjustments are costly to put in place.

Asking questions isn’t about information, it’s about insight

Most managers ask questions that skim the surface:

“Why isn’t this done yet?”
“Do you understand the process?”
“What’s the barrier?”

These questions assume the problem is competence. But the right questions assume the problem is context.

They could sound like:

“Which part of this workflow is tripping you up?”
“How does your brain prefer to organise tasks?”
“Is the environment helping or hindering you?”
“What would make this feel manageable?”

These questions don’t just gather information, they can reveal truth. They uncover:

cognitive load
sensory friction
unclear expectations
mismatched communication styles
missing support
environmental blockers

The tribunal made it painfully clear: The employer didn’t ask questions that would have revealed the real issue. And when you don’t ask the right questions, you end up managing the wrong problem.

The Right Questions Change the Entire Trajectory

One well‑timed question can prevent an entire tribunal:

“What do you need to work well?”

That question alone could have changed the outcome. Instead, performance concerns were escalated without understanding the root cause. They extended probation, increased pressure, and ultimately dismissed, all without ever pausing to ask what was actually happening.

The right questions:

build trust
reveal barriers
prevent harm
create psychological safety
stop tiny issues becoming legal issues

Curiosity is not a soft skill. It’s a leadership competency.

Neurodivergent employees don’t need perfection they need curiosity!

You don’t need to be an expert in ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or any other neurotype. You just need to be curious enough to ask:

“How does your brain work best?”
“What slows you down?”
“What helps you get into flow?”
“What would make this feel easier for you right now?"
"What’s getting in the way of you doing your best work?"

Performance grows when people feel understood and understanding grows when leaders stay curious. That’s the real chain reaction worth aiming for.

Our Different Brains Takeaway

This £200k case isn’t really about probation, dismissal, or a cupboard.

It’s about a workplace that didn’t listen, didn’t ask, and didn’t understand.

The leadership lesson is simple:

Listening is a skill. Asking questions is a strategy. Asking the right questions is a superpower.

And if leaders don’t use that superpower? A tribunal judge will and they’ll ask the questions you didn’t.