Listen .... and learn

The secret weapon to learning is a simple one ..... listening. Don't believe me? Tell me how much you have learnt by talking!

Leaders and individuals who lack this skill are ineffective. Don't believe me? Look at the current political leaders in many countries and ask yourself whether they are talkers or listeners .... it starts to become a little obvious.

Bringing it closer to our daily lives working with a leader who takes the time to listen to understand rather than listening to react (I call that pretend listening) is a blessing.

You can tell when someone is genuinely interested in hearing what you have to say, they are engaged, they do not interrupt, they can easily replay what you have just said. Is this you?

It is also easy to spot those that are not interested in learning and listening, they interrupt and do not let you finish, they might look at their watch or phone while you are talking, the body language is dis-engaged, their response in a sense is pre-meditated. Sadly there are a lot of individuals in this space and one thing that they all tend to lack is empathy.

You can practice empathy, it is not that hard. Put yourself in the shoes of someone else, see the discussion from their perspective not yours, be understanding, be patient. If you do this you will not prejudge and you HAVE to listen to understand what is on their mind, what is worrying them, what is the reality of what they are bringing to you.

The bonus of being a great listener is that you will have a more positive influence on those around you and this is a good thing for all of us.

We all love being genuinely listened to. We feel respected.

So think about a relationship either at work or at home that being empathic could help with. Think about a relationship that you know if you listened more to truely understand their point of view that relationship would have a chance to be in a better place. Now go and try listening more and talking less.

What are you waiting for?