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Learning to be an active listener will increase your leadership capabilities- and guide you on a path toward personal and professional success.
Successful leaders assert that listening is a key factor to their effectiveness. These executives actively probe and challenge the information they receive so they can build a strong knowledge base of fresh ideas and insights.
Unfortunately, the art of active listening often is overlooked when compared with the other business acumen skills that executives must demonstrate in their day-to-day work and interactions. Not surprisingly, when teams are asked to identify which skills they think their leaders need to improve, listening tops the list.
Typical feedback on 360 degree and other assessments administered on behalf of some clients includes
* "My boss needs to a better listener."
* "Leaders need to listen to our ideas."
* "When my supervisor doesn't listen to me, it indicates that she doesn't really care about me."
Our ability to retain what we hear is substantially limited. In fact, various research reveals that, in general, we only remember 20 percent to 50 percent of what we hear.
For instance, Harvard Business Reinen? on Effective Communication cites research that indicates that within 48 hours, we only retain 25 percent of what we've heard. The evidence is clear: Although many people think that they are good listeners, they're actually not.
Anyone can learn to listen
Fortunately, listening is a skill people can learn. With specific selfobservation practices, anyone can begin to improve his listening. Take for example the case of a financial services executive who was frustrated with her work and believed her career within the company had plateaued.
She had observed that her direct reports were not as engaged with her personally as she would like. After gathering feedback from team members, she...