The Lost Art of Listening

Discord and divisiveness are not new conditions in America. But the degree to which this country is divided and polarized today is unprecedented. Even the global COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t united us. Then the world saw the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, and a dialogue about systemic racism in this country rose to the forefront, as the streets filled with nightly protests and rallies. And still, rather than unite in the fight to purge our nation of racism and injustice, we remain divided.

In the wake of George Floyd’s death, Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said:

“Listening to one another is what will begin to heal America.”

Listening is the singular first step on the path to any positive change in the world. As business leaders, we have the responsibility to start down this path. We must listen to our own teams and engage in conversations that elevate our collective understanding and ultimately, inform our actions to make the world a better place. 

One of the eight key leadership commitments at General Motors is ‘We Listen.’ We are curious – we listen to understand and learn, not to counter. We encourage productive meetings and recognize that it’s the discussion that leads to the best resolution.

Our leadership team holds regular dialogue sessions, or, as we call them, “diagonal slices”, to answer employees’ questions and listen to their concerns. In 2020, we narrowed in even more, holding listening sessions between our Black employees and the senior most leaders in our company to understand their perspectives, and how they are feeling. Every time our leaders practice intentional listening, it elevates the team’s collective focus and spirit. 

The rest of the General Motors team has boldly stepped up to have their own purposeful conversations. In one format, ushered by our employee resource groups, team members host and record “Blue Table Talks” where dialogue focuses on candid, unscripted, authentic conversations that address diversity, inclusion, and unconscious bias, among other things. The Blue Table Talks serve as a model for the types of discussions that embrace listening and foster an atmosphere of inclusion. 

At GM, we aspire to be the most inclusive company in the world.

We have committed to ‘Be Inclusive’ as one of our eight GM behaviors that drive accountability, shape our culture and guide our actions. We promote dialogue, facilitate debate and value diverse views. Listening and relationship building are key enablers to the future we are creating for our team. 

There may not be a precise roadmap to repairing the divide our country is experiencing, but listening is an important step. Listening leads to awareness, and as I've said before, awareness leads to dialogue, dialogue leads to understanding, and understanding leads to change.

I am part of The Dialogue Project, a research effort to explore what role businesses can play to help improve civil discourse and reduce polarization. More information here: https://www.dialogueproject.study/