Amazing things you can achieve at work by becoming an active listener
In the previous post we talked about the importance of active listening at work. We also talked about how you can become an active listener by bringing some small changes in your life. Picking up from where we left in the last post, I am going to discuss here about the amazing things you can achieve by becoming an active listener.
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So let us get straight to the point. Here are some of the amazing benefits you will reap by becoming an active listener -
Improves analytical thinking
Analytical thinking is the reason why people are able to make the most of their skills. When you are an active listener, you don’t jump to the conclusion straight away after listening the words coming from the other person’s mouth. You don’t take decisions in haste. You give your mind some time to think and then reach on to a conclusion. This is what analytical thinking is all about!
When you will make decisions after giving a thought, chances of those decisions being wrong are reduced to quite a large extent. And when wrong decisions are lesser, the probability of succeeding in whatever you are doing automatically goes up.
So in a way, active listening helps you to become a better decision maker, and thereby aids in your success.
Solve problems real quick
Problem solving is one of the key skills that make a great leader. If you are not an active listeners, chances of you being a problem solver are meager. This is because listening is part of the entire puzzle that we called a problem.
If you are not an active listener, you are not getting all the information you need to know about the problem. There is a high probability of you missing out on the important details that can play a critical role in solving the problem.
By being an active listener, you are feeding your brain with everything it needs to find a solution. And that’s exactly what you need to become a leader who is great at problem solving!
Build better team relationships
Communication is the most important part of building relationships at work. When you are not communicating effectively, you are leaving cracks in the walls of your relationships. These cracks could easily get occupied with misinterpretations and miscommunications which can hurt you and the team in the longer run.
As they say a team is the reflection of its leadership, you ought to build strong relationships in order to create a winning team. And that can be achieved easily if you are good at communication.
This is where effective communication becomes so important. Yes, as a leader you have to be strong at giving orders. But you must never forget to discuss it with the team members just to know what they think of your decision.
Avoid unwanted surprises
Sometimes a small error in judgment or a slight miscommunication can lead to unavoidable situations arising in the project. And more often than not these miscommunications arise because you are not listening proactively.
For instance, you heard the wrong project requirement while communicating with the client over phone as your mind was occupied with something else. Now this slight error during communication, because you were not listening actively can hurt your business big time. And you might end up getting a last minute reality check from the client that he actually wanted something else.
All that could have been avoided if you were listening actively in the first place. And that’s how being an active listener can be your biggest asset as a leader.
Minimize the chances of rework
Rework is a problem that eats a BIG part of every team’s time. And the biggest reason why they have to work time and again on the same thing is because of not having understood the requirement clearly the first time. This is where active listening can become an asset.
The chances of an active listener misinterpreting or misunderstanding the information being shared are quite meagre. This means that they are able to have a lucid picture of the requirements. And, can work on getting things right the first time.
So you can be certain that chances of do overs and rework are reduced to the minimum, increasing your team efficiency to quite a large extent.
PS - The focus here is on how it will help in your professional life, but the benefits are not limited to that only.
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Vartika Kashyap is a seasoned marketing professional who is an expert in digital marketing and entrepreneurship. She’s been featured among LinkedIn’s Top Voices for the year 2016. She currently runs the marketing team at ProofHub — a project management software for teams of all sizes. Connect with Vartika on LinkedIn, Medium and Twitter.
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Director - Crane Hire Congo at CC CRANE HIRE
7 年This is the cornerstone of leadership...Thank you for sharing!
Marketing Manager SolidWorld Group
7 年Be an active listener. This is the key!
National Training Manager (with additional responsibility of Marketing Function) at Bayer
7 年Very useful skill but difficult to practice too. In spite of putting conscious effort most of the time we fail to exercise this skill especially at those moment when it is very much required. It happens both at professional & personal fronts. Something like Krna, the great warrior forgot the use of weapons in Mahabharata, when he needed too much.