The Awesome Power of Good Listening
Good listening is one of simplest and most powerful ways to connect with others. After all, being heard is a fundamental human need. Amare organizations cherish good listening as a critical management skill, invest in strengthening listening skills, and make active listening part of their culture.
These companies that value listening stay curious and avoid premature judgement. They are learning organizations that recognize the power of listening. And they ask lots of questions, wondering out loud, rather than making assumptions. For them, listening is an act of caring that uplifts and connects everyone engaged.
- Are you a good listener?
- Does your organization value and reward listening?
- Does your leadership team model good listening behaviors?
5 Amare Ways for Leaders to Become Better Listeners
1. Assess your talk/listen ratio. First track about how much you listen vs. talk, and under what conditions. Then ask others to weigh in on your ratio – and make it safe for them to be honest with you. This is your baseline.
2. Learn one active listening skill each week. This means building skills to be fully present when you are listening, to stay curious and avoid judgement, and to ask questions that foster deeper understanding. Check out these seven listening games.
3. Practice not interrupting three times a day. Just listen. Notice when you feel like blurting something out, and breathe your way through it. Come back to being curious. Be patient with yourself and reward small progress – this is hard!
4. Optimize your talk/listen ratio. You have two ears and one mouth. As a leader, aim to match those anatomical proportions by listening twice as much as you talk. Tell your team you’re doing this and ask for periodic feedback.
5. Get role models. Identify who in your life is an excellent listener. Notice what they do and don’t do, and mostly how you feel when you’re with them being heard.
More Resources to Hone Your Listening Skills
Active listening is considered a “top three” management skill. If you want to grow your listening skills and culture, contact me and I can connect you with more resources matched to your needs. ―The Dalai Lama Three Powerful Ways for Leaders to Make Better Decisions Three Essential Leadership Skills NOT for the Faint of Heart Conscious Leadership: An Amare Perspective How Leaders Show Up in Business The Amare Way Acknowledgements: Big inspiration for this issue came from listeners/teachers at Modern Elder Academy. Thanks everyone for tuning in to Amare Wave Wednesday! Do YOUR one amare thing today to improve your business and grow the wave! If you like this, share it! _______ With Amare, _______Today’s Amare Wave Wednesday Quote
“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”
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