Leaders Are the Best Listeners

The Leadership Challenge Middle East

Leaders Are the Best Listeners
Leadership is everyone’s business.
Listening is leaders’ business.
We all take listening for granted.
We are all, at some stage and in some situations, guilty of poor listening, of not focusing on the speaker’s words and what they are really saying.
And listening is a critical skill for leaders.
Listening, especially in times of pressure, may seem unnecessary but in fact the opposite is the case.
Listening SAVES money.
Listening IMPROVES productivity and engagement
We’ve all heard the expression “my door is always open. “
What that statement implies is that the manager of the person saying it is open to listening to individuals’ problems or concerns.
But it’s not the door that needs to be open only. It’s the ears and the mind and the heart of the leader, listening to the individual, which really makes a difference.
The leader will eliminate likely external factors which could impact on his or her ability to genuinely focus on the other person - and listen to them.
This of course means that they allow the other person all the time they need to explain the issue.
Managers, who too often are dealing with other distractions, want the individual to ‘get to the point’ and will sabotage the listening process by making assumptions - about what the person is saying and assumptions about a solution.
Sometimes in these situations, the leader is not able to provide specific help but his or her act of genuine listening, even listening with empathy, has a positive effect on the individual with the issue.
So many of us are guilty (maybe only occasionally 😊)of thinking of the solution before we’ve first listened - and confirmed that we heard and understood what the other person was saying.
As a leader, ask yourself “How can I be a better listener tomorrow than I was today?”
Exemplary leaders know the critical edge which listening gives them - and they use it to great advantage.