Leadership Viewpoint

Failing to listen well causes people significant problems, both personally and professionally. Why is it then that intelligent people who know that they should listen, don’t? Many of us have established communication habits over the years that emphasize getting our point across with little regard for the input of others. That’s the behavior that has been rewarded in school and in the low level jobs we work in our early years. Then we enter the corporate world where emphasis is placed on teamwork, communication and interpersonal skills, and we find ourselves poorly prepared for the ensuing challenges.

Our improvement opportunity with listening is not simply knowledge based. Rather, it is based on years of poor habits that have become our everyday behavior. When we work with groups, we don’t believe a person has really listened until he or she demonstrates listening to the speaker via multiple methods. It’s all about letting the speaker know that you heard him or her, and that you truly got the message. Spurred on by television and movies, too many of us have become increasing passive listeners. When we are interacting with live people, we use those same passive skills, and the speaker is left feeling unheard and unappreciated. Take the time to paraphrase what they said, clarify their message and summarize the conversation. Look him or her in the eye and show your interest with gestures and related questions. You’ll love the difference it will make in both your personal and professional life!

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