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Top Ten Ways a Leader Benefits from Listening

The leaders that have the most profound influence on their organization are those that have the respect, trust and confidence of their people.  We've discovered that those leaders have gained that level of influence through the intentional practice of being personable, producing valuable results and listening to their employees.

When I ask leaders who demonstrate a strong ability to listen what they consider to be the key difference between hearing and listening - the resounding anwer is attention.  

"You can hear whatever you want to hear, but when you give someone your attention, that's when you really start to listen." 

Asked to consider what the benefits of listening would be to a leader, and the answers reveal an attitude of honest communication and a culture of empowerment.  Here are the answers that I receive the most often and I highlighted in the article/video series Leaders Listen.

THE IMMEDIATE LEADERSHIP BENEFITS OF LISTENING:

• Makes the leader approachable

• Ideas are generated.

• Concerns are identified

• Gauges alignment to priorities

• Reveals your blind spots

• Empowers others to problem solve

• Improvement to efficiency and execution

• Time management

• Reduces conflict and stress

• Trust is cultivated and/or measured

What are your employees trying to tell you?  Your influence will be greatly enhanced the moment you begin to listen like a leader.  

I'd like to give you a special resource that I've created based on the listening behaviors learned from industry and community leaders.  There are 5 Key Tips on how to improve your listening skills and a personal development worksheet to help you put it all into practice.  Click here for more info and the downloads.

~ Steven Iwersen

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Speak Less, Listen More - The Art of Persuasion

Speak Less, Listen More - The Art of Persuasion

Balancing the demanding schedule of a leader is tough enough:

• Client Meetings
• Strategic Planning
• Emails & Phone Conferences
• Staff Agendas
• Budget Considerations
• Production / Service Issues
• Communication

Communication.  That's the big one!  The one skill that weaves its way through every other responsibility.  And the leader has the extra challenge of keeping the balance between speaking and listening.  The speaking part comes easily for most leaders.  Especially when you reach a point of confidence in your mission and decisions.  The hard part for most leaders is the listening side of communication.  And yet, that is the skill that makes the biggest difference in your influence.

John Baldoni, chair of leadership development at N2Growth, contributes an important perspective on this in the SmartBLog on Leadership.  He points out an interesting example from the show “Ray Donovan”and how the title character played by actor Liev Schreiber demonstrates the importance of being a quiet leader.  "A quiet leader is one who values his own strengths but also has the ability to see the world as others do for one simple reason....Knowing how another thinks is essential to persuasion."

The problem is - we've never been taught HOW to listen and we don't have enough TIME to listen.  It is something that we have to learn "on the job" and master while attempting to lead others to a desired outcome. But, what if you had a system - a formula that could help you solve that problem? 

Here are 5 Key Tips / Filters that I coach leaders to use as a system for improving their ability to listen:  (From the LEADERS LISTEN article.)

RESPECT - Respect the Other Person.   You give attention to those you respect.

RETREAT - Retreat from the Distractions.  Minimize distractions to build positive actions!

REMOVE - Remove Obstacles. Use the "Time Delay Advantage" to hear the real message.

RESTATE - Restate for Understanding. Verify what you believe you heard.

RESPOND - Respond for Action. Listen with the intent to produce solutions.

You can have the complete "Leaders Listen" report and strategy.  I'm giving it complimentary to every person who wants to be a more persuasive leader. Click here for the LEADERS LISTEN strategy.

In addition to the report, a 5 part video series has been posted to YouTube.  Each 4 to 5 minute segment offers practical ideas that will help you implement the strategy.  A self-paced study guide is available to help you.

Here is the first of that series.  Grab a cup of coffee and let's have a short visit.  

~ Steven

 

 

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