The Power of Listening in Leadership

The Power of Listening in Leadership | Leadership N-Sight

In this episode of Leadership N-Sight, we explore the transformative power of listening in leadership. Discover why effective listening is one of the most undervalued yet essential tools for leaders. Learn how a listening mindset can boost team dynamics, increase influence, and navigate through challenging times. We delve into key strategies like cultivating a listening mindset, fostering a culture of openness and trust, and implementing active listening techniques. Tune in to gain actionable insights that can elevate your leadership and empower your team. Don't forget to like and subscribe for more valuable content!

00:00 Introduction to the Power of Listening in Leadership

00:39 The Importance of Listening in Leadership

02:22 Key Points for Effective Listening

02:48 A Story on the Impact of Listening

09:55 Cultivating a Listening Mindset

16:19 Fostering Openness and Trust

20:23 Implementing Active Listening Techniques

26:19 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Welcome everyone. Welcome to Leadership N-Sight where today it's about the power of listening in leadership.  You do not want to miss this. Not only can you take this in your career, you can take this in your life.  Do not forget to like and subscribe from whatever platform you are watching us from. 

Again, today, it's all about the power of a listening and leadership. As a leaders, we often focus on speaking, directing, and making those powerful decisions. However, one of the most. The most undervalued and powerful tools in leadership is the ability to listen effectively and do not let someone tell you anything different. 

Listening isn't just about hearing words. It's about understanding the underlying needs, concerns, and ideals that drive your team members.  Listening is so key. We have done a few things on listening.  Obviously that must tell you right there how important listening is. I will make sure that I link that in the description. 

It is so great to have you all here today. . In today's session, we will explore the critical role that listening plays in leadership, how it affects the dynamics of our team, how it can also significantly increase your influence As an effective leader, we're going to delve into why these skills are essential.

And we're going to also, of course, provide you with some actionable insights to improve your listening abilities and also to be able to empower your team. If you are a leader, it is about your team. It is about those who you are leading.  Our three points for today,  we are going to talk about cultivating a listening mindset.

And then we're going to move into foster a culture of openness and trust. And we'll follow that up with implement Active listening techniques.  Now let's start with this story. I'm going to tell you about a story that's going to encapsulate the importance of listening and leadership. And I am sure, and I hope so, that all of you out there are like, Listen. I have a story for you. And if that's you, if you have a story, let us know about your story too, because we all have these amazing, some sad, but amazing stories about those good times that our leaders are listening and those not so good times where you really do feel undervalued and you're just like, where is my voice?

 Imagine. You are leading a team project and then all of a sudden it goes haywire, the crap hits the fan, as they say. That's the nice way of saying the crap hits the fan. The team is now frustrated. Morale, of course, is a low and progress is stalled. Now, this can be challenging when things aren't going well and you get the temptation to make those quick Fix decisions where you're just like, yes, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.

Do this, do this, do this. And then, wait a minute, did you even ask your team? Now you're leading a team, but did you ask your team?  In this scenario, the instinct might be talk more, direct more, push harder. But what if,  instead, the leader Took a step back and actually listened  let that sink in really listen there was a time where a leader faced this exact situation The project was on the verge of failure and everyone was ready to jump ship and let me tell you  As a leader  I know  you think that you are super super great and people won't jump ship, but buddy  Don't listen to them and see if they won't jump ship. 

Okay?  So instead of trying to micromanage or push for these immediate fast solutions, this particular leader did something different. They stopped and they listen. They have a series of one-on-one meetings where they didn't just ask about the work progress.  Ask how was the team members feelings? What challenges were they actually facing?

Because it's important. Our perspective in your team members perspective  Sometimes it can really truly be completely different.  As a leader, don't assume, ask the questions.   In this case, they did. They had their one on one meetings. They were asking about how they were feeling, what challenges were they facing, what ideals did they have?

For moving forward a lot of times your answers are right in front of you with your team. Do not miss that opportunity. Now this wasn't just about hearing complaints or ideals. It's about understanding the emotional and Psychological state of the team now most of you watching are saying yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, right Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, right

This is what needs to be done. However, I'm having this conversation because more times than not, this is not happening. Quick snap decisions are happening. Team members aren't being consulted. And how do I know? I coach. How do I know? Because  I've been in leadership, currently in leadership positions, and I've been in leadership positions.

been in leadership positions and this is what's unfortunately still happening today. So how many of you out there are tired of your supervisor not even asking about your well being? When is the last time your supervisor genuinely asked about your well being?  How about  When did they ask, how can I help you?

We may not be able to change your specific supervisor, but we can change us. We can change.

We can also change the next leaders out there to do better. Through this process, the leader discovered that the team wasn't just struggling with technical issues, and this is going to become  crucial and evident as you move throughout your career, because it's not always about what's exactly happening.

There's always some type of nexus. There's always some type of big, deep why. That's going on that sometimes leaders can miss if you do not really check in with your staff this staff was feeling disconnected undervalued and just they felt like they weren't being heard.  Armed with this insight the leader was able to make targeted changes  not just in the Project plan but in how they started to engage with the team And of course, what were the results you all you know that this project was able to turn around did it turn around overnight?

No, however with that leader staying in the project did take a great turn where morale even started to improve. Why? Because they had a supervisor, they had a leader that was willing to listen, and they were being heard. Truth be told, every leader, every project, We're all going to run into some form of difficulty.

We are going to have difficult periods. These are inevitable. They're going to come. But how you navigate these times is what's going to be able to define your success as a leader. Listening,  especially during challenging times, can provide you with the insights that you need to lead your team through any adversity that may emerge and you're going to come out stronger on the other side.  And so we're going to go ahead and jump into our points. What supervisors need to do to activate the best listening skills. And what can employees do to help them? Now, let's go ahead and break this down.  Let's talk about cultivating a listening mindset. The first step to becoming an effective listener. And it doesn't matter. This is Whether you're at home with your baby, whether you're in a grocery store, whether you are talking to your mom and your dad, it doesn't matter.

The first step in becoming an effective listener. is cultivating the right mindset. Supervisors must approach every conversation with the intent to understand, not just respond. So when someone pops off and says something that you,  you, Miss Supervisor, Mr. Supervisor, The Supervisor doesn't necessarily like what they say, you don't pop off and respond.

I know sometimes, some of us have very quick reflexes, we have very quick mouth reflexes.  I don't know, I wish I had a little, I wish I had a cute pun for it.  But we have quick mouth reflexes, okay?  And this is not the time for you to activate that quick mouth reflex. This is the time to activate your listening ear,  okay?

Not the quick mouth reflex, the listening ear.  Supervisors, again, you must approach every conversation with the intention to understand, not just to respond. This is going to require you to be fully present in the moment, setting aside distractions, and genuinely valuing the perspective of others. And if you're not able to do that, my dear, I wonder,  It's supervision exactly right for you at this moment, okay?

It's that serious. I need you to understand. It is that type of serious.  Listening requires full attention. Supervisors should avoid multitasking during conversations, as it can convey  disinterest and hinder understanding. How many of you get tired of trying? Well, tell me what you think.

And you like are they listening? Wait a minute. They just asked me to tell me what what I what what I thought in Oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I don't I don't have a phone. Oh, I wish I had a phone Tell me what you think. I don't have a phone y'all in front of me.

Uh huh. Uh huh. Come on now We have to stop you Ma'am, sir, stop. When someone is talking to you, I understand our phones are a part of, well, they're not a part of my life like that.  But they're part of some of y'all lives like that where you can't depart from the phone. Sometimes, practice this at home. This is your homework assignment.

I know. That that's the coach in me. This is your  Homework assignment when you're at home put the phone down and start having normal Conversations look at whomever's talking to you Even if it's your child actually give your child that eye contact give your significant other Give your parent whoever it is Put the phone down.

Let's just start there. And I also need you to be open minded. Enter conversations with an open mind. You all, we have such preconceived notions going on within us. I need you to put down the bias. I understand if someone says,  Let me see you're having this conversation, right? And someone says you're not listening to me And you go back to an instance Back in your past when someone else said you're not listening to me and you have that conversation already pulled up  Download is downloaded  It's downloaded you don't hear a thing that the person is saying to you because you Have reverted back to A bias, a preconceived notion of something that happened to you before.

That does not mean that is what's going to happen today. We all have biases, however, you need to check them. You need to challenge them within you. Enter conversations with an open mind, free of preconceived notions. This is going to allow the supervisor to truly hear what is being said rather than filtering it through our own biases.

When you are filtering through stuff with your own biases  and you are not checking those biases, you are going to get it wrong.  Okay.  Reflect on feedback. Regularly reflect on feedback received and use it as a tool for growth. And that means that you need to ask for feedback, okay? You can't reflect on something that you don't ask for.

 Reflect on feedback, regularly reflect on feedback received and use it as a tool for growth. And some of you are like, I don't even have to worry about that because I'm not asking my team how they feel. I need that not to be you. I need you to ask your team how they feel and I actually need you to reflect On what it is that they're saying because there could be some truth Maybe there isn't any but very well

it could be a little bit of truth in that feedback Understanding how others perceive your listening abilities Can also help you improve them. It is okay to say  Hey, you know what?  Did it appear that I was actually listening?  How about ask, how are you being perceived? Stop thinking you're doing everything correct.

Take the big bold step and ask, how are you doing? All right point two foster a culture of openness and trust listening is most Effective when it takes place in an environment of openness and trust Supervisors, you also need to be able to start creating these environments Also note if you're in a toxic  environment.

And if you know, some of you all know what environments you're in, I need you to be self aware. If you know that you're in a toxic environment, you also need to know that openness and trust isn't just going to happen overnight. And  you've got to work on it. You're going to need to start slowly creating a culture, and you can do it within your team, a culture. 

Where team members feel safe to speak up, they feel safe to share their ideals and express their concerns. 

If  you ask them to share their ideals,  and they do,  and you turn around, and you slam the dag-on door in their face. You are not cultivating an environment of openness and trust. Well, SparkleJoy Coach, what do you mean slam the door in their face?  Someone says to you,  I think that what you instructed me to do is illegal. 

It's not illegal.  You didn't even,  you didn't even ask, why do you think it's illegal?  You just said, it's not illegal, and it was like, bam,  bam. You slammed the door in their face because you didn't even have the courtesy to ask, well why did you even, why do you think that it's illegal? And I'm obviously just making that up as I, as we go, but to give you some context, I need you to create an environment of openness and trust, which means people need to be able to say things to you, sir, ma'am, without you Immediately shutting them down because you're not going to get openness and trust if you continue to shut people down.  Encourage dialogue. Make it clear that you value input and value and input goes past saying, I want your input.  I want your input.  I want your input. We can make a song. Oh, I  want your input. 

And then when they give you input, you. slam the door in their face.  Yeah, that's just like a, where is it, we're obviously bowling. It's a strike, but not a good strike. That's a strike as in, get out of here, get out of here. So I need you to encourage, Dialogue. I need you to practice empathy.

Empathy is another key to understanding the emotions behind words. Supervisors, you need to practice active empathy by acknowledging emotions and responding  in a way that shows that you actually care. Acknowledge contributions. Don't steal they shine. Don't steal your employee's shine.  Don't steal your co worker's shine.

Don't steal anybody's shine.  How about you recognize and acknowledge when team members contribute ideals and raise concerns. This reinforces the importance of their voice in the decision making process. Our third point. Implement active listening techniques. Finally, implementing specific techniques can enhance listening skills and ensure that communication is effective.

One of the things that most of you, you hear about is paraphrasing.  Asking as someone is speaking paraphrase what you heard and it is okay. Listen  even today  to say What I think I heard is  It's it's as basic as I know it's basic it's simplistic but sometimes basic and simplistic is all You need, after someone speaks, paraphrase what you heard to confirm the understanding.

Whatever that takes for you, it, you need to make sure that you are hearing. Sometimes we think we have heard one thing and realize if you paraphrase, a person will tell you in a minute. No, no, no, uh, that's not exactly  how, because I hear it. That's not exactly.  What I meant, okay, or Yes, partially, but this is the other part, so trust me, even I, SparkleJoy Coach, who asks questions for a living, still, when I paraphrase, I don't always get it right, so that should let you know, you're not always going to get it right, we are not always going to get it right.

 And again, these are things that you all probably do know, but it's still worth saying. Ask open ended questions if the answer ends in a yes or a no no. Now listen,  I do recognize that you may ask. A question that should naturally end in a yes or a no, and people still may say yes or no. For instance, you could say, tell me about breakfast.

Yes. So, don't let that,  don't let that throw you off, okay?  Yes, people may, you may ask a non open ended question and they still may say yes, but don't give up. You still have to stay in. Yes, tell me about breakfast.  What did you have? Yes,  do you like breakfast? You can't give up if you're if especially if you're in a toxic environment, people are not going to naturally just want to trust you.

 You have to stay in the conversation.  Do not give up. Stay in the conversation. Open ended questions encourage more in depth responses and help to explore any underlying issues. For example,  instead of asking, Is everything okay?  Right? Cause that's a, yeah, uh, no, uh.  Try asking,  What's been on your mind lately? 

Because that's gonna be hard for someone just to say, Huh.  And  sit with the uncomfortable silence. Because people need time to formulate thought processes and questions and responses. People don't want to feel stupid. And when you just say, Well, what's been on your mind lately?  Well, let me tell you what's been on mind.

And why did I say that? Because I hear stuff like this every, almost every day. Maybe not every day, but I hear it. It's like they're saying, you're like, well, what's been on your mind lately?  But let me tell you what's on my mind. And brrrr,  you didn't it's,  and it's blown out the water. The person that you're speaking to has already surmised you really don't care.

Sit in it. What's been on your mind lately?  .

It is okay to sit and let a person formulate their thought without moving on.  I don't care if you gotta count to 20 in your head, don't count out loud, don't say 1,  2,  3.  I need you to count in your head, in your mind, 

to give the person time to respond.  Give feedback, provide feedback on what you heard, and discuss how it can be acted upon. You're not going to be able to act upon everybody's suggestion,  but when you can, Provide that feedback. And when you can't let them know that, that's a great idea.  I'm not going to be able to implement that, but I am writing that down because I would like to be able to circle back around to it. 

Close the loop on communication. It shows that you are listening and it leads to tangible outcomes. Employees can enhance this by providing feedback on whether they feel heard and understood, helping to improve communication dynamics continuously. If you desire. More information on active listening. We did do an N-Sight session specifically on active listening.

Level up your leadership, the art of active listening. And again, I'll drop that in the description box.   📍  📍  📍  📍 Please don't forget to like and subscribe.  

In today's session, we have explored the profound impact that listening can have on your leadership effectiveness. We began by understanding the importance.  of listening through the story illustrating its role in overcoming leadership challenges. We delved into what supervisors need to do to activate their best listening skills and how employees can support them.

And In this endeavor, breaking it down into cultivating a listening mindset, fostering a culture of openness and trust, and implementing active listening techniques. I always like to end with a quote, true leadership. Begins with listening. When you tune into the voices of your team, you don't just hear words, you uncover potential, inspire trust, and build the foundation for success. Remember listening is more than just a skill. It's a mindset and a powerful tool when used Effectively, it can transform your leadership and empower your team to achieve great success As you move forward in your career.

I need you to prioritize Listening and watch how it ends Elevates your leadership to new heights. Thank you for your time today. I look forward to seeing how you implement these strategies in your own leadership journey. Join me next week for more incredible insights. You deserve nothing but the best.

And it is my goal to ensure that you move to your next level.  📍 Let's take your career to new heights together.