"Listening": TOP Skill for You As Leaders

If you are the sole golfer on the course, will anyone hear the ball fall?
Photo by Richard Chicoine @ Whitewater, iCopyright 2010

Our #1 Term of Engagement: 

Listening...

Aren't some of us just too darn effective already to rely much on listening?

Even General George S. Patton, the flamboyantly egocentric but highly effective U.S. Army tank commander during World War II, once said:

"Never tell people how to do things.

Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."

Reading Time:  4 minutes   (including "silent joke" at the end)

Prepping for our 1st Leadership Learning Day

a quick overview of your most important leadership skill...

Stephen Covey,  in his book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, writes:

Communication is without question the most important skill in life.

There are basically four modes of communication: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. And most people spend two-thirds to three-fourths of their waking hours

doing those four things.

Of those four communication modes,

the one that represents 40 to 50 percent of our communication time is

listening - the one mode we have had the least training in.

By improving all these four types of communication modes

with an emphasis on listening,

you can take your leadership

to a whole new level.

To communicate well, it is important that you pay attention to each and every aspect of communicating. Speaking all the time, without listening to what others have to say, will neither make you very popular, nor a good leader.

On the other hand, simply listening to what people around you are saying but not speaking up and giving your input will also not make you a good leader.

The key is in learning how to develop your communication skills so that you speak when necessary and listen keenly.

When speaking with your employees or others who look to you for leadership,

you should talk clearly and simply.

Avoid using too many complicated terms or technical jargon as this is only going to end up confusing your listeners, which could cause your message to be lost.

I often ask others to tell me what they just heard to ensure that the intention of my communication is understood.

However, in trying to communicate and speak well, you should not forget that talking is only one aspect of good communications.

The other aspect, and arguably the more important one, is listening.

According to leaders who are at the top of their field, listening is absolutely vital in order to understand and to be understood.

When you listen to what people are saying (not simply "hear" them, but actually "listen"),

you obtain a higher level of awareness about the other person.

Clarity of communication by the one who is speaking and the one who is listening is the responsibility of both parties.

Learn to do both well and ensure that others do so also and

you will augment your leadership power.

When listening to people, it is essential that you hear not just what they are saying,  but also what they are asking.

 People will not come right out and ask you to respect them,

or to appreciate their work, or perhaps be a friend to them,

or simply crack a smile at their jokes.

By listening well, asking for clarity,

and ensuring that you understand what others are saying will give you a much stronger position to relate with them.

Be careful not to add your own perceptions to the message being presented,

ask for clarification.

If you listen properly, you will be able to adjust to what the situation demands,

and will hence find yourself at the right place at all times.

Listen for the opportunity to contribute to others.



And...

 

From a different perspective,

by not listening to the people who have to get the job done

a leader not only chills innovation

but also de-motivates by

reducing feelings of responsibility, control, and importance.

 

 

And then again...

 

Every ten years, the monks in the monastery are allowed

to break their vow of silence to speak two words.

Ten years go by and it’s one monk’s first chance.

 

He thinks for a second before saying, “Food bad.”

 

Ten years later, he says, “Bed hard.”

 

It’s the big day, a decade later.

He gives the head monk a long stare and says, “I quit.”

“I’m not surprised,” the head monk says.

“You’ve been complaining ever since you got here.”

 

Next Week:  A U-tube video from a famous Master Leader about "listening as leader's number 1 skill".

 

 

Blessings to all on this Thanksgiving week.

- Maggie