#318 Shhh. Listen closely. Did you hear that?

Leadership isn't just about vision-casting - it's about hearing what people really need. In a noisy world, listening is your most underrated leadership superpower that can build trust, reveal what's really happening, and sharpen your decisions.

• People follow leaders who make them feel seen and heard, not those who have all the answers
• Listening with curiosity rather than just to respond helps get to the heart of issues
• Being present allows you to catch nuance, read tone, and see emotion
• What seems like a motivation problem may actually be a listening gap
• Creating space for honest feedback unlocks new levels of connection and ownership
• Leaders should consider using a 360-degree evaluation tool
• Challenge: Ask yourself where you need to listen more than lead this week

Visit growthinstigatorscom to schedule a discovery call if your team feels unheard. I help leaders create cultures of clarity, trust and connection.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Listening Leadership
• 0:57 Why Listening Builds Trust
• 1:13 Real-World Impact of Listening
• 2:05 Leadership Challenge and Closing Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Shh, listen closely. Did you hear that? Welcome to message 318 of the Growth Instigators Hotline, where we ignite your personal and professional development. I'm Aaron Havens, your host and growth coach. Winning leadership Wednesday leading through listening.

Speaker 1: 0:21

Leadership isn't just casting vision, it's hearing what people really need. And in a noisy world, listening might be your most underrated superpower and might be just what the loud world is craving. If I asked you to name someone who is a good listener, who would you say? And do you want to be more like them? That person, let's talk about how leaders are good readers. I mean, no, let's talk about how leaders are good listeners and why that is so very important.

Speaker 1: 0:57

Listening builds trust. People don't follow leaders who have all the answers. They follow leaders who make them feel seen and heard. In a world craving community, monologues just fall flat. Most everyone is looking for honest dialogues. Listening reveals what's really going on. What's said in meetings isn't always the whole story. When you listen with curiosity, not just to the response or just to respond, but to understand, you get to the heart of the issue. And lastly, listening slows your reactions and sharpens your decisions. When you're present, you catch nuance, you read tone, you see emotion. That gives you an edge that quick answers never will.

Speaker 1: 1:45

I once coached a leader who thought their team had a motivation problem. What they really had, though, was a listening gap. Once they created space for honest feedback, without defensiveness or fixing, it unlocked a whole new level of connection and ownership. Here's a free wisdom drop here. Some sort of 360 degree evaluation tool is key if you lead an organization. So what kind of leader are you? Are you quick to speak or do you take the time to listen before you respond?

Speaker 1: 2:16

Here's a challenge for you today. Pause and ask yourself where do I need to listen more than I lead this week? You don't have to talk more to lead better. Sometimes you lead best by leaning in and just listening. Thank you for calling Growth Instigators Hotline. I'd love to hear from you. Leave a message after the beep or send an email to Aaron at growthinstigatorscom and let me know what's one relationship or situation where listening would change everything, and if your team feels unheard. I help leaders create cultures of clarity, trust and connection. Visit growthinstigatorscom and let's schedule a discovery call and, as always, keep instigating growth in all you do.