101: BETTER LISTENING
Efficient listening isn't just polite. It helps managers become better leaders when they allow time and access for employees and clients to communicate with them. That isn't to say that a 24/7 open-door policy is needed. Certainly managers should allow blocks of time to address questions or concerns before or after meetings, for example, and not jam-pack their day too much. Here are three thoughts to consider on active, engaged listening.
Target 360 listening. This is when you not only put the phone down and shut off the laptop and act like you're hearing the other person, it's when, as Melissa Daimler at HBR.org, “the magic happens. You're not only listening to what the person is saying, but how they're saying it — and, even better, what they're not saying, like when they get energized about certain topics or when they pause and talk around others.”
Understand why good listening is good business. Liz Ryan at Forbes.com, reminds senior leadership why it's important to listen.
One, actively processing feedback is how great ideas develop in a company. Two, you can cut off problems at the pass when you learn of them early on “when your employees can tell you without fear or hassle that something in your organization is messed up,” she said.
After all, you can't solve problems you don't know about. By continually requesting feedback, acknowledging it and acting on it, you warm up your company culture, a valuable tool.
Hear the message and hear the messenger. Understanding each messenger – or team member – is key to managing effectively. It helps a leader get to the core of that individual's motivations and perspective. “Listening skills … enable a manager to discern the intentions, mindset and feelings of their team members — an invaluable skill for effective team management,” writes Cathy Wellings at Business2Community.com.
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