The most important leadership skill you must have
And, it has nothing to do with strategic thinking.
Listening.
Surprised? Don’t be. In fact, Active listening is complementary to other leadership skills and enables leaders to perform well holistically.
However, the irony is that there seems to be a major listening impediment that leaders face today.
One of the many reasons that I can think of is the boat load of responsibilities that leaders carry on their shoulders. Given the ever evolving face of the world, leaders are supposed to be on top of the change curve. They are supposed to know the new trends in design, technology, people management, strategy, growth, culture, and oh-my-my-the-list-is-sooooo-long.
And, in their quest of becoming change-agent superheroes, leaders guzzle quadrillion bytes of information everyday. Eventually, the holy pursuit for knowledge becomes like a rat running on a hamster wheel and you know what fuels it?
FOMO- Fear of missing out.
Yes, the fear of losing that priceless (ahem, useless) piece of information which sometimes carries zero intellectual calories.
Our God-fearing soul crushes under the constant pressure to never miss out on-
- Here are the 80 things you should do before 8 AM to be successful
- The surprising truth of why leaders want to sleep at night
- The top 10 things Elon Musk does when he wakes up and why it makes him such a kick-ass CEO
- Masterclass: Masterful Meaningful Management Mantras for Millennials
- Forget Red. Forget Blue. Here’s the new science of Green Ocean strategy
I’m sure you get the drift.
This constant chase of shiny knowledge bullets strains our mental stamina. We are either drifting from one thing to another or playing the lead role in the soap opera of our own thoughts.
It robs us of being in the moment, you know. It steals our undivided attention which should be given to the team members and hear the pulse of the organization.
Think about it, wouldn’t someone with a listening impediment miss the core issues which their team members are dealing with? Wouldn’t it impede the growth of the entire group if their leader makes no effort in learning and understanding the problems which they face?
A leader can only lead well if they understand their teams and to do that one has to be a great listener. As a leader, one has to weed out the issues that either lead to misalignment or negative impact on the culture and it’s only possible if a leader listens well.
So, how can one practice the active listening habit?
To begin with, you have to put yourself in the other person’s shoes, put down your phone and turn off all digital distractions. There is no use of blocking an hour for meeting if you are constantly interrupted by mindless notifications or swimming in the tide of your own thoughts.
By the way, active listening isn’t only hearing intently but also interpreting someone’s thoughts through facial expressions, body language and posture. At times, your team members might hesitate to express their problems or give you critical feedback. In such scenarios, it becomes even more important for you to initiate a conversation, listen and understand their point of view.
So, be an exceptional listener. Because that’s the only way to be a great leader and scale your organization to new heights.
Win.
