For managers good listening begins with11/25/2023 This approach promotes constructive feedback, with both parties more likely to be engaged in a dialogue that gets to the heart of the matter. With this method, leaders pose questions that allow others to enter a meaningful conversation showing their best side. But some conversations can be more difficult than others.Īppreciative Inquiry, a conversational model developed by Case Western University in the late 80s, is an approach that focuses on creating a positive environment to drive candid reflection. Through active listening, leaders can gain more insights than by simply instructing. By fostering an environment of open feedback based on active listening, organizations can better connect internal and external feedback to improve overall performance. Strong listeners are effective leaders and essential to engaged teams, which correlate with positive business performance. According to research from MIT, the best leaders are “charismatic connectors, who circulate actively, giving their time democratically to others, engaging in brief but energetic conversations and who listen at least as much as they talk.” Recent leadership research suggests that engaged leaders are key to business success. In this volatile environment, previous leadership ideals aren’t necessarily the most effective – strong leaders aren’t “all knowing and directive.” The traditional “command and control” leadership approach no longer works as well given constantly changing business environments and shifting workforce expectations.Īccording to Adler, “We live in a world where listening and other ‘soft’ skills haven’t been given as much attention. But this is all changing.”Ĭonnecting Listening to Business Performance Industrial psychologist and a Partner in Aon’s Talent & Rewards Practice, Seymour Adler, observes that throughout the 20 th century, we have associated and valued traits such as being assertive and directive with strong leadership. What we are seeing now is a strong shift to the softer side. The 21 st century has been characterized as a world of uncertainty. Who can name many famous listeners? With over five times as many synonyms for speaking than listening, our culture has placed more value on being the talker. Yet, history books are full of famous speeches and their speakers. Why is listening becoming so important for organizations, and what steps can we take to cultivate this increasingly in-demand skill?įrom engaging teams to capturing deeper customer insights, listening is critical to an organization. This is where listening to employees can help organizations listen on behalf of their customers, leading to overall improvement and even, innovation. Increasingly, organizations are connecting what they hear from customers with what they learn from their own employees to drive continuous improvement. Organizations routinely solicit feedback from customers and there is a well-established link between engaged employees and satisfied customers. While key to leadership and the employee experience, listening is also fundamental to customer satisfaction. Engaging leaders create “continuous listening” strategies to fully understand and take action to enhance their employees’ experience across the entire career lifecycle. These leaders have a set of experiences, beliefs and behaviors that benefit their teams – from open and candid communication to active listening. Engaged employees tend to deliver better business performance, are more connected to their organization and strive to go above and beyond in comparison to their less engaged peers. Research shows that engaged leaders are more likely to have engaged employees. Listening is at the core of effective people leadership. The ability to be an effective, active listener is a skill that companies are looking to add or develop further in their teams. What is emerging as one of the most important of these soft skills, is listening. Studies suggest that 59% of hiring managers are struggling to find candidates with appropriate soft skills, and 92% of executives say such skills are equally or more important than technical skills. The demand for soft skills is on the rise.
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