How a functional impairment can be a great advantage

Many of us like to listen – at least we like to listen to our selves talk. But are we truly listening to our employees, to specialist knowledge, to the little signs and give away`s that something is not right in the organisation? Are your employees truly motivated and aware of how they contribute to the greater picture? Are they unhappy about how we as leaders provide feedback ? Or ensure that employees competencies are fully utilised? Is there trust in your leadership? To get the answer to these questions you need to listen more :)

Some of the things that you should do to improve your listening skills are the following;

• Stop Talking and start to listen actively, do not interrupt, acknowledge the speaker may be thinking about the next words
• Be open minded, don’t assume you know the solution up front
• Make the speaker feel comfortable – don’t stare at clothing mixed in weird patterns, or a mole on the cheek
• Encourage the speaker to continue by recognising the topics, having an open mind and being impartial
• Listen to the tone and try to analyse the pitch, tone of voice and volume to help guide you in the conversation and identification of ideas and innovations – not just the pure words. Note that sometimes the topic may change during the conversation, and the real topic of interest may be hidden at first.
• Simply listen – do not get distracted by outer stimuli or the persons habits or mannerism – focus on what is being said, so the speaker does not feel you are bored
• Finally, it is easier to listen when you are talking together. E-mail is generally not enough and can easily be misunderstood

I have recently engaged with a coach. He is the best listener and the above listed items seems to be very natural for him. He is super attentive and provides absolute clear and on spot on guidance for the topics on mind or immediate challenges. What makes him such a good natural listener? He is blind.

It is amazing how much more alert your hearing skills become, if you close your eyes and just try to listen to the person across from you. It is a small exercise that can be done anywhere and in any setting. It is a true eye opener to experience how much attention the visual space takes.

“If we were supposed to talk more than we listen, we would have two tongues and one ear.” Mark Twain

I realise that we have two eyes, so there is a bit of a competition with two ears – but in today's world with constant distractions and fear of missing out, the ears are quickly losing, and yet so many solutions could be right in front of us, if we just exercise the hearing sense and practice our listening skills.

My coach is a great inspiration and a fantastic example of how people with a disability can bring something new to the table.

Either by looking at things from different angle, utilising their different life experience or by having sharpened some senses due to others being impaired.

I believe a diverse mind-set holds the key to many successes. As said so precisely by

Malcolm Forbes; “Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.”

So, do not be afraid to work with, be friends with, or hire a person with a disability – it may be the most successful and rewarding thing you do.