Is active listening a leadership skill?
Effective leadership requires active listening skillsAugust 17th, 2020 | Posted in Leadership Blog By Dr. Mickey Parsons, MCC, BCC In my 20-plus years of leadership development coaching, I have come to see active listening as critical for learning effective leadership leadership skills. In fact, if you ask me to name the most essential leadership qualities, I would put being a skilled listener right near the top. I have seen firsthand that when managers and leaders make skilled listening the cornerstone of their leadership style, they make huge strides, especially in areas like employee engagement and productivity, not to mention in their own careers. On the flip side, when listening skills are lacking even the most fundamental leadership tasks, such as setting expectations and providing feedback, are either rendered ineffective or actually backfire. In the current period of intense business, political and social uncertainty, the need for effective leadership skills and those who are skilled active listeners is greater than ever. It is those organizations who have great listeners at all levels of leadership that will emerge from this difficult time both stronger and healthier. Before looking at five reasons why leaders need to become better listeners, lets consider what it means to be a great listener. A primer on listening Great listeners do all that and more. They bring a sense of genuine curiosity to their exchanges. They listen beyond the words, paying attention to things like body language, facial expression and tone of voice. And they ask good questions, not yes or no questions but questions that prompt the speaker to expand on what they are saying. One study found that truly great listeners made those around them feel a sense of psychological safety. The best listeners made the conversation a positive experience for the other party, the Harvard Business Review reported. They made the other person feel supported and conveyed confidence in them, and they sparked cooperative conversations where feedback flowed smoothly in both directions. 5 reasons to become a better listener 1. Listening is the foundation of healthy workplace relations. As any marriage counselor will tell you, healthy communications start with listening. Making time and space to listen to your team will foster open and mutually respectful exchanges and bring you closer to your team members by honoring their intelligence and wisdom. 2. Employee engagement and productivity will increase. When you listen to and address the concerns of your team members, you not only provide critical support as they face new and often vexing challenges. You also create the conditions for them to do their jobs well, providing the sense of accomplishment that is also key to engagement and effective leadership. 3. Your team members have important information. Your team members are apt to see things differently than you do and to have a keen understanding of the needs of your external and internal customers. 4. Your team will become more creative and innovative. An important way to foster a creative give and take is by asking questions of team members that prompt them to think deeply about problems, look at opportunities from different angles and imagine innovative possibilities. 5. Youll keep pace with a changing workplace. This approach depends on the free exchange of ideas across teams and functions, across diverse digital platforms and often across languages, cultures and national borders. This complex landscape demands leaders who know that listening keenly is essential to good communications. Its time to become a leader who coaches. Listening is at the heart of being a leader who coaches. To illustrate this point, an article on The Leader as Coach in the Harvard Business Review described how Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella practiced this leadership style: He solicited thoughts from everybody he talked to and listened empathetically to what they had to say. He asked non-directive questions, demonstrating that his role was to support rather than judge. He encouraged people to be open about their mistakes and to learn from them. 3 levels of listening As coaches, we aspire to Level 2 and Level 3 listening with our clients. Leaders who want to be more coach-like must do the same. Are you ready to listen? Facebook Twitter LinkedIn |