The One Skill That All Successful Leaders Have
I would like to talk to you about a very important leadership skill that you must develop as a key element of your personal brand. Many people claim they’re good at this but I feel that many of us could sharpen it much more.
The Art of Listening
During the course of your career, you will communicate with many people. And regardless of whether they’re above or below you, you must engage in the art of listening.
Now this might seem like a simple skill, but it really isn’t. And instead of truly listening, many of us tend to wait impatiently for our turn to speak. In my opinion, this might be because society, in general, rewards talkers.
In my school days, the kids who always answered questions and spoke out, were favoured, and more likely praised. Consequentially, a lot of us may have grown up to believe that listening might be seen as being passive, submissive or just not having anything good to say.
The problem with this is that it carries over to the workplace where there are so many who want to talk and grab attention.
So if everyone wants to talk, who is going to do the listening?
Listening is so important at the workplace because it’s required in situations where you need to persuade, resolve conflicts, and influence others. It is a core element of effective communication. Mastering this skill will garner appreciation from your colleagues and can actually be favourable for your career growth.
True Listening
True listening is about paying complete attention to the person who is speaking, and the wide array of verbal and non-verbal information that they are sharing. As a leader or an aspiring executive, engaging in true listening will improve your personal brand, workplace relationships and contribute to team performance.
True listening can be perfected through practice.
5 Habits To Sharpen Your Listening Skills
There are many things I do when a colleague speaks to me. Here are 5 of them that I do consistently:
Stop what you’re doing. Put that phone down, look at the person and just listen.
Make eye contact with them. Don't fidget and keep looking away.
Don't interrupt and predict what they are about to say.
Make eye contact with them. Don’t fidget and keep looking away.
Listen without forming opinions and judgements.
Be respectful with your body language. Show you are an interested listener.
Ultimately, listening is not a passive skill. It’s a very powerful tool that you must cultivate and use as a leader to resolve conflicts, strengthen work relationships, and accelerate your career growth.