Why is ‘listening’ so hard to do?
Here we go again.
Like ‘Groundhog Day’ stuck on repeat the same platitudes are trotted out after yet another poor showing from the UK’s Labour Party.
Sir Keir Starmer, as the leader for only a year, says he takes full responsibility whilst his more trusted lieutenants filled the airwaves with the message we have heard a thousand times before.
‘We need to listen more’.
This is not a new comment. For as long as I can remember every politician says the same thing after every election defeat and most famously after the Brexit referendum.
‘We need to listen more’.
So what stops them? To be fair this is not just the Labour Party or any other political party which falls out of favour. The same can be said for many CEO’s and many businesses. It is also not a new failing.
As Mark Twain famously noted back in the 19th Century: ‘If we we’re meant to talk more than we listen, we would have two mouths and one ear’.
In my experience the reason people stop listening is for one of two reasons. Either arrogance or they are listening, but to the wrong people. Many CEO’s who end up running a failed business fall into the former. Things go well, the business maybe thriving and over time people stop doing what they used to do. They think they know best. They become arrogant. They think they can walk on water. They only listen to themselves or if lucky maybe one or two others. They stop listening. First to their employees and then their customers.And over time they loose the connection and their business starts to loose relevance because it is no longer hearing the insights about what people are thinking and wanting today.
This is the behaviour of many of the CEO’s of the UK’s failed retail companies.I do not think Sir Keir Starmer is arrogant but he has clearly fallen into the trap of listening to the wrong people. He seems to have become totally inward focussed and listening only to those on the inside and not the outside. Again this is a failing of many a CEO.
My rallying call to them is ‘Be Out. Not In’. Get out from behind the desk or Zoom and experience what is going on. The more a company has the culture of listening, the more insights it gains and the more it can develop ideas and experiences which reflect these learnings.
‘Being Constantly Inside the Heads of the Customer.’ This is one of my six ‘best in class’ company behaviours I write about in my book ‘The Business Case for Love’. It is about not just listening but hearing and truly understanding what has been said and why? This is not difficult to do. It is after all just a mindset but one that so many CEO’s and Leadership Teams, including those at the Labour Party, find easier to say rather than live.
For those who are interested, my book #thebusinesscaseforlove is now available both as an e-book a hardback and now an audiobook. In it I write about ’best in class’ company and leadership behaviours which I believe are relevant to the challenges of today.
It can be downloaded via #amazon #PalgraveMacmillan and #SpringerNature
?A sample is available on Amazon and a sample of each chapter is available through Palgrave and Springer.
The hardback, paperback, e-book and audio book are now available through Amazon, Palgrave Macmillan Springer Nature and The Bookshop, supporting local bookstores.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Business-Case-Love-Companies-Bragged/dp/3030364259
https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783030364250
Felicity Wade and group think pervades many a company. The BBC comes to mind!
Independent Development Coach
3 年Here’s a quote from a very customer focused from my manager Bill Armstrong back in the seventies. “George you can ask me any questions you like, just as long as you are not afraid of the answers”
Dr. Bruce Macaulay your words are so true. The irony for me is that the arrogant people I have come across are actually very insecure in who they are and what they believe. Whereas those who are comfortable in their own skin tend to be curious, good listeners and actively encourage differering points of view.
Executive Chairman at Transform Technology
3 年Marc. Many folks don't listen because they don't want to hear what is being said. They have their own view of the world and just want to hear voices that agree with them. It's not comfortable to have someone disagree -- but its more than often -- relevant!
Helping companies improve performance by enhancing the employee experience.
3 年Such an important message. I have found that sincerely listening to employees is a requirement for any kind of success in business today.