One of the most important skills a leader can have is listening. It takes practice and 100% commitment. As a former high school teacher and coach, I learned early on that listening closely to what young adults are saying pays dividends when preparing them for their next challenge.
Many of us have been raised to believe that the more we say, and the louder we say it, the better we are at leading. However, many leaders lead in an environment where listening is subordinate to talking and in this case often times initiative is stifled. Leaders leading in this environment should be fearful of ideas never sought, much less considered, and opportunity lost. Listening should be considered a prerequisite to establishing a high performing culture defined by empowerment and initiative.
Leaders that listen set an example and bring listening skills to a team. Leaders will gain buy in and creativity from soliciting input which is far more valuable than what is offered from just transmitting information. Experts suggest successful leaders spend at least half their day listening to the views of their teammates. Try not to allow this notion to seem counterintuitive mistakenly believing that if you are smart enough to lead then you should be the one always talking. Leaders are not all-knowing and at times need to check their ego at the door.
Effective listening has many dimensions. Try using phrases like...
1. Tell me what you think you heard
2. Let's review that again
3. Please summarize the conversation we just had
The teammate receiving the instructions share a synopsis of what they just received. Leader sharing instructions will determine whether the message was received properly. Confirm the information has been processed.
One final "Word of the Bird" recommendation. Hitting reply to all on an email is NOT a tool for developing a listening culture. Focused effort and 100% commitment requires much more deliberate and personal communication.
