Module 21 - Attributes of a Successful Leader - Listening

Why is listening an important attribute of a successful leader?

Hey everyone,

As leaders we want to share and educate people around us when opportunity presents itself. However, we often fail to realize that another person may not be ready for or willing to receive our coaching or feedback at that particular moment. Instead, the person or group of people whom you are teaching/coaching may have some very important feedback that they want to share with you. If you are someone like me, who is confident and prefers direct communication style,  you may have a tendency to interrupt others while they are speaking with you,  because, usually you have an answer or feedback ready as soon as the other person begins speaking. Failure to realize that we are interrupting another person we are: a). showing that you are not listening, and b). you could be perceived as disrespectful.

When I began working on my self-development, both personal and professional, several years ago, active listening was my biggest challenge that I had to overcome. Therefore, by understanding and accepting this as my opportunity area and focusing on actively listening to others as they were speaking with me without interrupting them, I was able to overcome this obstacle and significantly improved my active listening skills.

Active listening skill can be learned and developed if you first uncover and accept that this is your opportunity area, which can be very difficult to do, and second, begin taking steps to improve your listening skills daily with each interaction that you have with others.

Some steps that you can take are:

1. Be quiet while another person is talking to you, even if you already know the answer or feedback to their question or statement
2. Take notes, highlighting key points discussed and presented by another person or group of people. This will help you to remember everything that was said and restate points discussed if asked, as well as share your expert feedback appropriately. Most importantly, by taking notes it will show another person that you were listening to them
3. Answer question(s), share feedback or opinion only after other people are done speaking without interrupting them

Active listening is not something that can be learned and developed overnight. However, with daily practice and application you should begin to see improvement in your listening skill development

In order to watch full module/video, please visit YouTube page of the Heart & Mind of a Leader by clicking here: Module 21 - Attributes of a Successful Leader - Listening