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How to Be a Better Listener in Life
It’s never been more important — or more difficult — for leaders to be good listeners. Job switching is rampant, and remote work means we don’t get the nonverbal cues we’d pick up from an in-person conversation.
Employers who cannot listen and thoughtfully respond to their people’s concerns will see greater turnover. And given that the highest rates of turnover are among top performers who can take clients and projects with them, and the frontline employees responsible for the customer experience, the risk is clear.
While listening is a skill universally lauded, it’s rarely, if ever, explicitly taught as such, outside of training for therapists.
Listening well is the skill that benefits from not just teaching but coaching — ongoing, specialized instruction from someone who knows your personal strengths, weaknesses, and habits.
Becoming a Better Listener…
A participant in any conversation has two goals: first, to understand what the other person is communicating, and second, to convey interest, engagement, and care to the other person. This second goal is not “merely” for the sake of kindness, which would be reason enough. If people do not feel listened to, they will cease to share information.
