Leading and Listening

I heard about a study that said we hear half of what is being said, listen to half of what we hear, understand half of it, believe half of that, and remember only half of that. That says one thing to me: we need to work harder at listening. As leaders, we should make it our goal to be a more effective listener. In order to lead people, one must first understand them. You can’t possibly connect with someone if you don’t try to listen to and understand him or her. If you want to be more effective connecting with people, make it your goal to understand them. It is no coincidence that we have one mouth and two ears. That means we should listen twice as much as we talk. When we fail to listen, we shut off much of our learning potential. Good listeners pay attention to the small details. They also pay attention to what is not said. To be an effective leader, you need to let others tell you what you need to near, not necessarily what you want to hear. The truth is the higher people go in leadership, the more authority they have and the less they are forced to listen to others. However their need to listen becomes greater. “If they have not formed the habit of listening, they are not going to get the facts they need. When a leader stays in the dark, whatever problems the organization is having will only get worse”. John Maxwell is right.

We as leaders should force ourselves to listen more than we talk and try our best to understand those we are fortunate enough to lead. Those people have placed a trust in us that should not be taken for granted. They want us to listen to their goals and help them to achieve those goals. We would be doing them and ourselves a tremendous disservice if we did not listen. After all, we are judged by what others think and say of us, not what we think of ourselves. So why not do yourself a favor and help yourself by helping others.

Finding Your Voice

In today's world, it is imperative that we have a voice. I am not talking about the sounds that come out of our mouth when we speak, but a true voice. Something that we each believe and hold true. Something that resonates so deep within us that we can't help but talk about it. do you have a voice? We all do and it deserves to be heard. Some people may choose not to listen to our voice, but that is their loss. :) It is natural to want everyone to get It. We want them to understand our voice and receive our message, but that does not happen all of the time. This last presidential election was a prime example of delivering a message that some received and some did not. I watched both the Democratic and Republican Conventions in an effort to study the speakers. I found that how they delivered their message was just as important as what they said. Were they passionate? Were they strong? Did it make sense? These are all the things I asked myself. Finding your voice is just the first step. After you find your voice, what will you do with it next? I guess the question is not what will you do with it, but what you surely cannot do with it. You most definitely can not have your voice silenced. Many people intentionally or unintentionally try to silence our voices with their actions and words (especially in the workplace). Regardless of the situation, be sure you are heard.

As leaders, it is our job to assert our voice and help others find theirs. We do not want to be the type of so-called leaders that only enjoys hearing the sound of his/her own voice. If that were the case, we would not be leaders would we? People enjoy being heard. It is one of the key aspects of true leadership. Listening to others as they tell you who they are and what they are passionate about is paramount. The important question is: What are you going to do once that information is given to you? The answer is value that information and help your followers to cultivate their voice. If you do that, you will not only be seen as a leader, but you will be giving as as leader as well. Whether you are leading the meeting or simply a member of the team, remember we all have a voice and it deserves to be heard.