Effective listening is an integral part of the communication process, but most people do not understand this. As a leader, if you experience disturbing or unpleasant miscommunications at your workplace all the time, you could benefit from honing your listening skills.
When you don't listen effectively, communication issues, conflicts, and problems arise. Listening encourages people to speak up and participate, lowers the risk of miscommunications, aids conflict resolution, and fosters trust.
Let's delve more into the definition of effective listening, how to develop listening skills and how to become a great leader when you listen.
What is Effective Listening?
Effective listening is a method of hearing that is more than just hearing.
It is about listening carefully to understand to acquire meaning from the other person's words.
Leaders listen with their ears and observe with their eyes when they practice effective listening. They also commit to being psychologically and emotionally present, leaving aside their judgments, making the other person feel at ease by using positive body language, and participating fully in the conversation.
Employees frequently want their voices to be heard by those in positions of authority; they want leaders who will genuinely listen to their needs rather than simply hearing what they have to say. Leaders must become more aware of their teams' needs to effectively inspire personal and professional growth, productivity, and improved performance in the workplace.
SEE ALSO: 10 Ways To Become A Better Leader
Are You Really Listening?
Many leaders appear to listen to their teams or employees but do not actually hear what is being said. They think listening is something that happens naturally, but this is not true. You need to develop effective listening skills if you want to be a great leader.
There are several reasons why leaders do not listen properly to their team or employees. They are often distracted by the thoughts in their head, or they are thinking about what they will say next. Sometimes, they are distracted by other activities. These are the common listening flaws, and they have significant consequences.
Effective listening necessitates concentration and a genuine desire to hear what the other person is saying. Thus, you should focus all your attention on the other person when they are speaking to you.
Without effective listening, communication is merely a ruse, which may work just fine when gisting with a friend, but is totally inadequate in any business environment. Since businesses rely on human interaction to thrive, the effectiveness of such interaction must be excellent, and interaction entails communication.
The ability to listen effectively is a behavioral trait that can influence your relationships as a leader, both at work and home. Remember, it is the most effective communication tool in your leadership kit.
How Can You Develop Listening Skill As A Leader?
Effective listening is the bedrock of effective communication. You have to learn and practice it for it to become a habit for you. Always keep in mind the difference between hearing and listening. Then, you can continue to learn and improve your listening skills.
Keep in mind that failing to listen effectively as a leader can have serious consequences.
In a scenario where you must listen carefully to what your employees or team members are telling you, tell yourself to seek to understand first, then to be understood. Rather than just listening to what they are saying, focus on their tone, facial expressions, and body language. This will help you discover and understand their interests, passions, and needs; then, you’ll know how to help them.
SEE ALSO: 4 Simple Ways To Demonstrate Positive Leadership
How can Effective Listening Make You A Great Leader?
Dalia Lama once said when you speak; you repeat what you know. When you listen, you learn something new. Did you know that 85% of what we know we have learned through listening?
Effective listening is a habit that great leaders cultivate. They use every chance they get to incorporate it when communicating, get feedback, and use the data to assess the areas they need to improve.
Let’s take a look at how effective listening can make you a great leader:
Improves team engagement
As a leader, one of your primary goals should be building a highly engaged team. However, this necessitates a substantial amount of effort to foster a culture of trust between you and your team members. Ultimately, you can only build this trust when you listen to them effectively.
"If you're going to achieve anything, you have to listen." said Bill Liao
One of the most important leadership practices for increasing employee or team engagement is effective listening. When you listen to your team or employee, you can easily build stronger bonds with them. Here's a fact: effective employee engagement is directly related to how much your employees believe you value them.
The best way to do this is to foster a culture of value for your employees or team. How? By listening to them in an engaged and non-judgemental manager. They will reciprocate the respect and value by increasing their energy and level of engagement at work. Leaders can become much more engaged listeners by acknowledging and validating their employees or team's emotions.
Increases empathy
Empathy is defined as the desire to feel the emotions of another person, regardless of your own. Typically, it is interpreted as sympathy —your emotional understanding of the other person's situation based on your viewpoint rather than a sense of what should be felt. This is not empathy.
You can, for example, sympathize with a bereaved person. But, you can only empathize with them if you have gone through what they are going through.
Leaders who practice empathy are more likely to understand how their employees feel because they experience similar emotions while listening to them. Based on personal experience, effective listening enables leaders to have a real emotional reaction to what their employees are saying.
Encourages acceptance & respect
As leaders, you must understand the importance of listening to build an inclusive workplace culture where everyone feels accepted and is treated with respect. When an employee feels accepted as part of the team, they feel more connected and willing to engage with others. They are more passionate about their jobs, leading to an increase in work productivity and performance.
One of the most effective ways to foster workplace acceptance is to listen to your team when communicating. It means that you respect them when you converse with them, not only because of what they have to say but also because they have the right to express themselves.
“Listen to understand and without judgment.”
However, you must exercise caution because there are times when the opinions expressed may be contrary to moral principles or the law, in which case you must withdraw that acceptance.
Keep in mind that acceptance and respect boosts efficiency and can enhance creativity in the workplace. Regardless of their professional position or role, every employee and team member is entitled to the same level of respect.
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