Give attention; to listen; perceive (sound, word) by the sense of hearing
"The leader who doesn't know how to listen, he is anything but a leader!"
Mauro Moraes
The leader who listens really pays attention to people and what they had to say, they do more than just stick to the facts, they listen not only to words, but also to feelings, meanings and intentions.
Knowing how to listen brings essential advantages to a leader to exercise his role, such as:
· Understand people better before starting to lead them
· Listening is the best way to learn
· Helps detect problems and prevent them from evolving
· Knowing how to listen creates relationships of trust
The life goal of A LEADER is to add value to people. And he will succeed if he listens to the people around him.
To connect with their employees, the leader needs to learn what their real needs are, and the best way is to listen.
High performance leaders learn to listen:
- Followers, if you are in the habit of only listening to the facts and not the person who expresses them, change your focus and really listen. Get to know each person on the team, their desires, dreams and needs.
- Customers, leaders must listen to their customers' concerns, complaints or suggestions. Good leaders always prioritize contact with the people they are serving.
- Competitors, high-performance leaders understand that they need to learn from everyone, including competing companies, so they keep their ears open.
- Mentors, no leader is so experienced that he can give up a mentor. If you don't have anyone who can help you personally, start by reading.
To improve your listening skills:
- Change your schedule. Do you take the time to listen to your followers, customers, competitors and mentors? If you don't keep these four groups regularly on your calendar, you may not be paying enough attention to them.
- Meet with people in their environment. One key to being a good listener is finding out what you have in common with people. The next time you meet an employee or customer, ask them four or five questions that give you some insight into their character. Know who he is and identify common elements to build your bond with him.
- Listen between the lines. When interacting with people, you certainly want to pay attention to the factual content of the conversation. However, don't ignore the emotional content. Sometimes you can learn more about what's really going on by reading between the lines.
- Don't dwell on your answer. Listen carefully until the end, try to remember the points where you disagree and agree, but keep the focus on what the other person is saying, not what you are going to say.
- Allow yourself to pay attention. Really stop what you're doing. If you're almost done with something, ask for a moment and finish it, or arrange to talk in half an hour. Then, give as much attention to the person being led, without keeping your head on what you were doing.
- Show attention. In addition to doing the essentials, keeping eye contact with the person being led and interacting actively, also do what is accessory: turn off the monitor, lean the door, put the phone on silent. Allow the collaborator to see that you are making room for them.
- Deal with interruptions. The phone rings, people knock on the door, messages arrive, unforeseen events happen. Knowing how to deal with interruptions at work is basic, and if you're in a situation where you've decided to pay attention to an employee, you need to know what to do with the phone or the person who knocks on the door and wants a moment of your time.
- View the issue from the leader's point of view. Even if you don't agree, or don't agree, using empathy can allow you to better understand what the other person really wants, and in what ways you can (or can't) contribute, participate, or offer something that interests them.
“A good leader encourages his followers to tell him what he needs to know, not what he wants to hear”
John C. Maxwell
- Go beyond words. Don't just analyze what you're hearing. Pay attention to intonation, body language, contexts and situations.
- Make questions. Even if you have no doubts, ask questions. Rarely does a person say all they have to say, or fully expose their situation, without this essential interaction. Ask and let the contributor answer.
- Notice the good listeners you know. Ask yourself what makes you think they are good listeners, and why they are good listeners. And try to do the same!
- Watch the bad listeners around you. See what they lose from it, or what they don't gain. And think if you are willing to give up the same things, when it costs so little to value them!
Being a leader who LISTENS will help you inspire those you lead!
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Mauro Moraes is a Specialist in Personal Development and Leadership and a columnist for Gente Mais Portal.