1 Forgotten Skill That Will Make You a Better Leader Today

The Future of Leadership series invites conversations and the sharing of ideas between business leaders. Subscribe here to receive future editions directly to your feed and inbox.

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Remote work, email, and text based messaging platforms now dominate our means of communicating, but a very neglected human skill will prove to be a difference-maker.

Listening.

It's truly an artform yet few have mastered it. Listening is the foundation for effective communication and the key to building strong relationships. With technology ruling our lives, we are becoming less opportunistic in developing our listening skills, and less socially aware of its effect on the business as a competitive advantage.

Take a cue from servant leadership. When you focus on the needs of your employees -- growing and empowering them -- we can agree that this cannot be properly done without good listening skills.

In Robert Greenleaf's legendary essay, The Servant as Leader, he said that "only a true natural servant automatically responds to any problem by listening first."

Know when to stop talking and start listening

Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind make the need for good listening even more evident in their research published in the book Talk, Inc.

They found that the most effective leaders in over 100 companies employ the principles of "organizational conversation." The secret? Operate your business as two people having a conversation, which most big companies don't.

In their Harvard Business Review article, Leadership is a Conversation, they state:

"Leaders who take organizational conversation seriously know when to stop talking and start listening. Few behaviors enhance conversational intimacy as much as attending to what people say. True attentiveness signals respect for people of all ranks and roles, a sense of curiosity, and even a degree of humility."

This is what I call authentic listening. It is the ability to understand what's happening on the other side of the fence; to identify the will of a group and help to clarify that will.

The late management guru Peter Drucker once said, "The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said."

Authentic listeners have an uncanny ability to listen intuitively to the other person's story, searching conversations for depth, meaning, and understanding with the other person's needs in mind.

The listening is selfless, not self-centered, and has one overarching theme: how can I help the other person? 

In my own research to find out the causes of poor management, I asked participants the question, "What is one mistake leaders make more frequently than others?"

Out of hundreds of responses, which I ranked and wrote about in 8 Mistakes that Employees Are Saying Managers Make, mistake #3 is plain and simple -- they don't listen. The lack of two-way communication -- sending without receiving -- was a clear regret for many individual contributors.

The hard part: listening to feedback

Good listening skills involves a certain degree of humility. In my coaching sessions with executive clients, I establish early the understanding that to improve performance, they must accept the humble responsibility of inviting feedback, and then listening with courage and openness.

There are several approaches to successfully listen-for-feedback. For example:

• Be open. Listen without interruption, objections, or defensiveness.
• Be responsive. Listen without turning the table. Ask questions for clarification.
• Be accountable. Seek to understand the effects and consequences of your behavior.
• Be self-aware. Be aware of your own emotional reactions, body language, and how you're coming across in the listening.
• Be quiet. Refrain from making or preparing to make a response, or trying to explain, defend, or fix.

As you move forward, embrace relating to others with more curiosity and intent. Treat it like a human experiment in your professional development journey, with listening as a key tool in your toolbox.

Do you agree that listening is really a difference maker? Leave me a comment.

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Conversations from the Podcast

"Companies that have gender balance all the way up to executive level make more money, are more creative and achieve more mission success."

That little slice of truth came from a great conversation I had on the Love in Action podcast. David Smith and Brad Johnson, authors of the brand new book, Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, joined me to talk about male allies. Here is an opportunity for men to think deliberately about better allyship with women in the workplace.

Listen to the full episode here:

Web: https://lnkd.in/eDb7dZT

Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/38YoLaV

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ethpPGZ

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A Plea for Frontline Workers

For most of us reading this, we spend the majority of our work time at home, behind the safety of our computer screens while we ride out COVID-19. But for hundreds of thousands of frontline workers, they don't have that option. As a result, writes Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic, "frontline workers are much more likely to contract the virus than white-collar workers. In addition to disproportionately bearing health risks, they have also faced greater economic impact, as frontline workers are more vulnerable to unemployment caused by COVID-19."

George, an influential author and global thought-leader, makes a case for revaluing these frontline workers with "skills training, new jobs, and increased wages and benefits."

Case in point as it relates to wages, George argues, "Can anyone live on $7.25 per hour, or $15,000 per year? No wonder so many minimum-wage workers hold two or three jobs or engage in the gig economy as Uber drivers. Many of these jobs do not offer health care benefits, leaving millions who cannot afford health insurance."

Join the conversation here.

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New Remote Work Survey Sheds Light on the Role of Managers

A Slack survey of more than 9,000 knowledge workers around the world found that 72% of workers want a hybrid remote-office model. The report adds that "people managers, especially middle managers, were actually found to face some of the most acute challenges in adapting to remote work. These include a sense of belonging, productivity and managing stress and anxiety."

Slack vice president Brian Elliott points out that the role of the manager in remote settings has shifted "from gatekeeper to coach and social connector.” This also shifts the traditional manager's role from that of planning, organizing, and executing to the high aspirational role of leading other human beings.

Organizations need to devote time and resources to providing people managers with new tools to enable them to coach and connect with their teams, adds Elliott.

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Remote Work Will Lead to a "Slump in Innovation"

Stanford University economics professor Nicholas Bloom is widely known for his research on remote work and best management practices. Bloom writes, "A collapse in office-time will also lead to a slump in innovation. In-person collaboration is necessary for creativity, and my research has shown that face-to-face meetings are essential for developing new ideas and keeping staff motivated and focused."

Bloom adds that the inventions we’re losing today could show up as fewer new products in 2021 and beyond, lowering long-run growth.

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Thanks for engaging the conversation! Leave me a comment and let me know what is on your mind. Finally, here's how I can help you navigate these challenging times:

1. Hire me to speak virtually to your leadership and HR teams about creating a high-performing organizational culture in 2021.
2. Train your leaders virtually with my new course -- From Boss to Leader. Get 25% off for being a subscriber to this newsletter. Start here.
3. Listen to the Love in Action podcast for deep conversations with world-class humans like Jim Kouzes, Stephen M.R. Covey, Ken Blanchard, Michael Hyatt, Douglas Conant, and Chester Elton.
4. Read my Inc.com column -- one of the most widely-read leadership columns in the world, with nearly 2 million people tuning in monthly.

Until next time,

Marcel

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About Marcel Schwantes

Marcel Schwantes is a speaker, executive coach, leadership advisor, podcast host, and syndicated columnist with a global following. His work has been featured in Inc., Time, Business Insider, Fast Company, The New York Daily News, CNBC, Forbes, and others. Marcel speaks passionately on the human side of work, and how cultures of care, connection, and people-empowerment power companies to outperform the competition.