Regardless if you are stocking product in the warehouse or a company CEO, the skill of effective listening is fundamentally essential to your professional success and personal satisfaction. It’s ironic that one could complete years of college, graduate work, and, perhaps, advanced training in one’s professional field without having been taught how to listen. On the surface it seems obvious and simple. However, the skill of listening effectively is not often experienced in the workplace or, for that matter, in most interpersonal encounters. And everyone can learn to do it and benefit from it.
One reason effective listening isn’t often practiced is our outdated models of leadership assume the leader is the Omniscient Speaker, and everyone else is supposed to listen, take good notes, and obey. The fact of the matter is, exception leaders do more listening than speaking as they equip their support teams with the ability to solve their own problems and hone their own skills. Failing to do so puts the team leader in the position of becoming the Omnipotent Problem Solver, which not only makes everyone else dependent on the leader, but also stunts their professional and personal growth. After all, great leaders are people builders.
The benefits of effective listening are legion. To do so demonstrates that one genuinely cares about another person. That alone goes a long way toward developing allegiance and dedication to a common cause. When a teammate believes their leader cares for and respects them they’re more open to directions and suggestions while at the same time “getting on board with the program”. Just think how much effort is expended trying to motivate a team of individuals. Being genuine and listening effectively goes a long way toward accomplishing that goal. Better yet, it doesn’t require any significant investment in time or treasure.
Another of listening’s significant benefits is that the wisdom of the group is always more valuable than the input of any single individual. Since an exemplary leader encourages and builds the skills of the team, how else could a team leader gather a broad spectrum of new ideas, solutions, and fresh perspective than by being a skilled listener? Another’s experience, perspective, and point of view very well may hold a key to solving a problem and moving forward. To not encourage them and not give them the opportunity to have input creates what Col. John Boyd called “friction”, with friction being anything that hampers or inhibits moving toward a successful outcome.
Finally, to be an effective and genuine listener means one helps prevent or avoid friction-creating problems that might otherwise rear their ugly heads. To be present and allow someone to just “vent” more often than not relieves the emotional pressure they may have allowed to build internal. Venting that kind of emotional pressure “clears their head” so they can become more reasonable and think through a challenging situation, and they can do it on their own without having to be spoon fed and directed. Friction is inevitable. Our skills and abilities to deal with friction and reduce it are often determining factor between the team that wins and the team that’s quickly forgotten as an “also ran”. To lead is to listen, and everyone can do it and benefit from it.
Originally published in Beaumont Business Journal, Heat And Humanity Column
