Master Leadership Listening

Let’s take a closer look at listening skills. 

I've come to realize that listening goes beyond just responding to what our team says. It's about tuning into the unsaid, the nuances that can make all the difference in fostering genuine connection and understanding.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube.

🎯 Leveling Up Your Listening Skills

Recognize when you are only "Listening to Respond": We've all been there – formulating our response while an employee speaks. When that happens, we’ve stopped listening to the other person. It's a common pitfall. The first step to better listening is recognizing when it's happening. Obviously, we need to craft our responses, but we also don’t want to be missing key information.

Pay attention to the Nonverbal Cues: The next step to improving your listening is paying attention to tone, body language, and even the way they phrase their statements. Emotions often hide behind these cues, providing valuable insights into how your team truly feels about a subject. And how they feel will often guide their behaviours and actions on the job.

Emotional Expressions: Employees may not explicitly convey their feelings about work tasks (does anyone really feel comfortable sharing their feelings with the boss?), but understanding their emotional expressions can make a real difference in understanding their position on a topic. Recognizing excitement, annoyance, or intimidation allows you to ask better questions - which in turn will allow you to offer better support, provide direction, or encouragement.

Expand your Awareness: Move beyond typical verbal and nonverbal cues. Embrace a broader awareness, like sensing the “atmosphere” in a room. It is a bit like using your “Spidey Sense” that something may be off - regardless of what is actually being said.  It might be intangible, but this extra layer of information equips you to ask the right questions and address unspoken concerns.

🤔 Time for Practice

Here are three things you can do to practice when developing your listening skills:

1️⃣ Self-Reflection: Recognize instances when you're crafting responses too quickly (and thus not truly listening to the other person). Awareness is the first step.

2️⃣ Nonverbal Mastery: Hone your skills in deciphering tone, body language, and subtle expressions. It's a language of its own.

3️⃣ Expanded Awareness Practice: Gradually start paying attention to the broader environment. What vibes are you picking up?

What steps do you take to ensure you are hearing your employees fully?