Did you know that research[1. Bechler, C., & Johnson, S. D. (1995). Leading & Listening. Small Group Research , 26, 77-85.] shows that your ability to listen is linked to your success as a leader? Sadly, most leaders do not listen as well as they should[2. See CCL’s Leading Effectively podcast, Listening & Leadership].
- Focus your attention on the person you are listening to. This simple strategy is easy to understand yet hard to do amidst the many things you have on your mind. However, this is what true listening demands. Put your distracting thoughts aside and attend to what the person before you is saying.
- Open your mind to information that may challenge your existing take on the person and the topic being discussed. We all have our own beliefs about people and the way things work within our organizations. While this quirky human tendency has its uses, it can blind us to seeing anything beyond what we already perceive. Open your mind to all the facts and to the possibility that your existing take on things may not be perfectly accurate.
- Shift your perspective so that you understand the topic at hand through the eyes of this person, rather than your own. To do this well, you need to understand not only what goes on in their mind and why they think that way, but also what they feel about it and why. Such listening helps us understand the matter at hand from a broader perspective than the more typical “how-does-this-affect-me-and-my-patch” response.
- Look for ways to help. All talk and no action will not change things for the better. The desire to improve things lies at the very heart of what it means to be a leader. You can demonstrate this desire in the way you listen to people. Sometimes, you may feel that you cannot truly make a difference in your organization, but as the Starfish story by Loren Eisley so nicely illustrates, you can—one person at a time.
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