Want to lead better? Learn to listen better (to your employees)

Leadership is one of the most researched and talked about topics.
How do I know?
Well, it crops up in almost every offline discussion I have had with my peers who manage teams, and also on Google.
In fact, ‘how to lead a team’ is one of the top searches on Google and throws up about 44,70,00,000 results in 0.59 seconds (depending on your processor speed!).
A lot of these online articles focus on how you should lead by example, become a problem-solver, appreciate your teammates regularly, etc — all valid points.
But in my experience, the leader that often does well is the one who listens to others and course-corrects. I can count on my fingers the number of bosses I’ve had who were truly open to feedback, and can also attest to the pedestal I placed them on.
Teamwork, like most others things in life, is a two-way street. Here are a few pointers to keep you on the right side of the street.
One team, different personalities
First and foremost, don’t expect everyone to respond to the same communication strategy. Some people like talking face-to-face. Others may prefer to send you an email with their ideas, in their own time and space.
Give people the freedom to choose how and when they would like to respond to you.
Don’t assume that the quieter ones don’t care.
In a world that is overrun by noise and cacophony, don’t seek the loudest voice, seek the sanest voice. Encourage introverts and extroverts to work together comfortably together.
You can listen to this TED talk by famous author Susan Cain for inspiration.
Run a democratic ship
The truth be told — as leaders tasked with getting work done, we all have our inherent favorites. Sometimes, we even travel with our repertoire, taking along our team when we change offices or companies.
But to develop those kind of relationships in the first place, you can’t be playing favorites. It’s one of the easiest ways to alienate your team members.
So if you need ideas on how to run the latest marketing campaign, invite the entire team to brainstorm. Let everyone have a go at a task — may the best idea win!
Don’t make listening a PR activity
There is honestly no point in asking for ideas and feedback, if you’re going to ignore it and do what you want anyway.
Yes, there are good ideas and bad ideas.
But sometimes, even the most bad ideas throw up something useful — if only to serve as reminders of what you shouldn’t do.
Listen to people’s ideas, then analyze and explain to them why something will or won’t work. That’s half the burden of leadership — helping others improve while getting work done.
Oh, and remember to respect employee privacy. Ideas that are solicited in private, should be kept private. Nothing stinks more than a boss who rats on his or her team.
Learn how to interpret the silences
At a previous workplace, when I finally told my boss that I would be resigning, she told me she wasn’t surprised.
She had seen all the symptoms — I had been silently withdrawing from the job for a while. Her words taught me the importance of watching and listening to nonverbal, and often, non-obvious clues.
Your team is always silently telling you how they feel about their job or what’s working and what’s not. You only need to tune in.
Ultimately, you have to be the bigger person and lead by example. Be ready to toe the line and take the blame.
And finally, always be ready to eat humble pie.
If you never fail, you’ll never succeed!
-Authored by Kushal Saini Kakkar, who likes reading people and listening to books. Is also a content marketing maven at Flock.

