Listening is

the Most
Important
skill a Leader
can have.

"most people do
not listen with
LINKEDIN the intent to
understand:they
ARTICLE:
listen with the
intent to reply"
 Listening is the most important
skill a leader can master. It is the
basis of so many other skills and
traits that make up a leader.
However, it is a tough skill to
master as it requires us to be
more present, attentive, engaged,
open and flexible. Good listening
skills in this digital era, due to
information overload and
shortened attention span, is fast
becoming an endangered
species. Listening involves paying
and making nonverbal cues,
appropriate to what is being said.
Many of us are guilty of starting
a conversation and putting a
thought or question out there,
but we don’t give ourselves a
chance to listen to what others
have to say because we never
stop talking, or we are so busy
formulating our reply to what
we assume they will say. Don't
just listen with the outer ear but
with the inner ear. Listen with
the intent to hear and
understand.
 Listening forms the foundation of
good relationships. Why? Because
it shows you care. Empathy and
listening go hand in hand. You
can't display empathy or
emotional intelligence if you do
not listen. The quality of our
listening determines the quality of
our influence. Employees want to
be heard and they want to be
respected. Listening transmits that
kind of respect and builds trust.
This leads to more motivated and
committed team members.
 On average, we retain just 25
percent of what we hear, which is
because of our busyness and
lack of listening skills. What is
your speaking to listening
ratio? Listening is crucial to
gaining a complete
understanding of situations.
Without this full understanding,
one can easily waste everyone’s
time by solving the wrong
problem or merely addressing a
symptom, not the root cause.
 Titans as Blackberry, Kodak and
Nokia have paid the price for
leaders who refused to listen. Their
leaders operated in a bubble and
engaged in group think. The greater
your success, the more you need to
stay in touch with fresh opinions
and perspectives and welcome
honest feedback. Listening is the
best way to know about your
clientele needs to create a
successful strategy. Raw truth is
needed to make well-informed
decisions and steer the
organization in the right direction.
Good leaders are active listeners.
It’s no secret that knowledge
and wisdom are not gained
by talking, but by listening.
Listening includes listening to
that "still inner small voice". If
something is wrong, just
don’t try to justify it. Even if
you get away with it for a
time, eventually the piper
must be paid. True integrity
starts with listening.
 As a leader, your job is to
encourage others around you to
be open and honest without a
negative consequence. Listening
leads to personal awareness
and growth. If you do not listen,
you will not grow. Additionally,
when employees offer their ideas
and differing opinions - be
open-minded. It is always
valuable to listen to your
employees. The ground reality is
very different from what you may
think. It's more realistic and
practical
Poor communication comes with
a high price tag. It accounts for
businesses losing millions of
dollars each year. Companies
that remain strong in this
competitive market, understand
the need to embrace change
and continuous improvement.
More than ever, leaders will need
to master the skill of “Lead with
Listening.” The success of your
business will depend on it!
 "Leaders who don't listen will
eventually by surrounded by
people who have NOTHING TO
SAY"

Andy Stanley