Great Leaders Adapt Their Listening

Welcome to my newsletter. I’ll share resources that’ll help your career and company grow through storytelling. Please subscribe to the Duarte, Inc. newsletter, and to get future LinkedIn issues, sign up by clicking the Subscribe button in the upper right corner.???

Let’s talk about listening!?I think we’ve all struggled at times from having a "listening gap". Think of this as the difference between what the speaker is looking to get from the conversation and how the listener actually responds. I've learned that I often listen with a purpose—to make decisions, stay productive, or meet deadlines. While that approach was sometimes helpful, it wasn’t always what the other person needed from me. Adaptive Listening? taught me that my natural listening style didn’t always meet the speaker’s needs. As a leader, ensuring people feel heard and valued is just as important as the conversation’s outcome.??

Being an effective listener means adapting your listening to meet the needs of the person speaking to you.?We all have a default listening style. You may not use your default listening style in every interaction, but we tend to gravitate toward it. This is your S.A.I.D. Listening Style?, S.A.I.D. stands for: ??

Support Listener: A Support Listener focuses on the speaker’s emotions, offering validation and encouragement. People often seek them out to share good news or vent, as they provide empathy and reassurance. Support Listeners prioritize making space for others in group settings rather than steering the conversation themselves.??

Advance Listener: An Advance Listener helps move people, projects, and processes forward by actively listening for ways to lighten a speaker’s load. When colleagues feel overwhelmed or pressed for time, an Advance Listener recognizes their need for support and takes action—whether by offering to handle tasks, delegating responsibilities, or finding solutions to keep things on track.??

Immerse Listener: An Immerse Listener absorbs and tries to understand information without immediately analyzing or responding. An Immerse Listener focuses on learning, retaining details, and asking clarifying questions only when necessary. Their main goal is to be a content sponge, ensuring they grasp the whole message.??

Discern Listener: We all need judgment and critique at some point, and a Discern Listener provides this type of feedback. In the workplace, they help assess projects and processes by identifying strengths, weaknesses, risks, and rewards. When colleagues seek feedback or clarity, a Discern Listener analyzes the situation, highlights red flags, and pinpoints positives to guide better decision-making. ??

?

Knowing your default, S.A.I.D. Listening Style is only part of the Adaptive Listening model. You must also understand what the speaker needs from you – their S.A.I.D. Listening Goal. The good news is the Listening Goals mirror the Listening Styles: Support, Advance, Immerse, and Discern. Learning to listen in these new ways will open doors to more meaningful interactions, professionally and personally. Not only do I now notice when I'm out of sync with someone speaking to me, but I can also adapt in real-time to provide the support they need.

Take the S.A.I.D. Listening Style finder to start your journey to Adaptive Listening. I'd love to hear all about your listening journey!

Also, Maegan Stephens, PhD co-author of Adaptive Listening is hosting a free webinar, on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 1 pm EST / 10 am PST for a live deep-dive into effective strategies for nurturing customer-centric listening habits. Sign up here!?

Pick up the Adaptive Listening book or attend a workshop for more details on how to listen with empathy and become an Adaptive Listener.?

Want to know more about storytelling in business? The expert communication consultants, creatives, trainers, and coaches at Duarte, Inc. are here to help. Whether you choose to learn from us or work with us, we’ll transform how you and your teams communicate using the Duarte Method?. Contact us to speak with a representative – we look forward to hearing from you!?