The Six Irrefutable Benefits of Listening
Being a leader can be challenging, especially for young or inexperienced people. When I ask new supervisors what it means to l be a good leader, they often respond by talking about establishing a vision and “modeling the way” for others.
While this is certainly true, many of the respondents fail to take note of the importance that listening to others has on being a good leader. New or inexperienced leaders are often shocked when I tell them that listening to others should be regarded as a key tenant of leadership.
Many seasoned leaders would argue that listening is significantly more important than commanding or directing. I tend to agree with this position. Listening is an invaluable tool that can be used to gain insight into your team’s dynamics and to show that you truly care about people and their work. Listening is one of the best ways to build trust.
Listening is not just about hearing someone speak; it also includes observing their body language in order to understand what they are trying to say without them having to say anything at all. Leaders should use this skill when interacting with their employees because it allows them to be more empathetic and understanding.
In addition to this, it’s been my experience that people often can answer their own questions about difficult situations if you just listen while they talk it out with you. Listening has so many benefits; here are six key benefits of listening that should perk your ears:
Listening Builds Trust and Loyalty
Listening is an important part of leadership and teamwork. Listening to others shows that you care and are interested in them. The more you listen, the more people will open up to you, which will lead to better relationships, improved team dynamics, and a better understanding of the needs of your employees.
Being approachable, showing that you care, and taking the time for your employees are all effective parts of listening that make you more trustworthy. When your employees trust you, they will go to bat for you and they will help to make your vision become a reality.
People often need someone just to listen to them. If, as a leader, you won’t do it, they will choose to find someone else who will listen. This results in a loss of loyalty and a reduction in your authority. Good listeners will find it easier to draw people to them.
Listening Improves Relationships
Relationships take work. Great relationships take a lot of work. A big part of establishing and maintaining great relationships is listening. Communication is a two-way street and no relationship will survive long without doing the work of listening. Take your spouse or significant other for instance. What do you think would happen if you stopped listening to them? Or what about if they stopped listening to you? Listening is a key ingredient to healthy, loving, relationships.
Listening Increases Knowledge & Understanding
Nobody likes a know-it-all that thinks they have all the answers. Similarly, being a know-it-all is similar to having the “my way or the highway” attitude. Leaders that have these attitudes are doomed to fail. They don’t last long; I have personally seen these things in action.
“Wisdom is the reward you get from a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk”
A leader that listens more than he speaks shows a willingness to learn and understand. Understanding forms the basis for establishing relationships and for helping your team get the tools and support that they really need to be successful. By taking time to truly listen, we can gain far deeper insights from our co-workers and employees than we ever could by talking or even simply observing.
Listening Shows Respect
When you listen to others it shows that you respect and value their opinions and thoughts. Listening means that you have to actively disengage yourself from your own thoughts and allow others to be at the center of your attention. You can’t honestly say that you respect someone if you never take the time to truly listen to them. Imagine a time that you felt ignored when trying to bring a problem to the attention of your boss or when you needed a parent’s help with some particularly difficult task. Did that make you feel respected and valued? No, probably not. Listening is one of the most important ways that you can show someone that you respect them.
“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.”
Listening Promotes Creativity
Another often overlooked benefit of listening is that it can lead to improved creativity and new innovations. For example, a team that works well together and balances listening and speaking amongst its members will have a significantly better chance of success than a team where no one listens to each other.
Some of the biggest challenges facing your organization or home life could be solved simply by taking the time to listen to each other. Deep conversations can result in discovering new, innovative, and creative solutions to challenges. Understanding an employee’s unique perspective or spotting a key insight that they may have can only come from listening to them.
Listening Helps Yourself & Others
Being a good listener when you have a leadership role can help to promote better listening for everyone else. As you “model the way” by taking the time to listen, others will start to do the same thing. This of course is helps you by increasing your influence and the impact that you have on others. Good leaders should be able to create more leaders rather than just more followers.