Effective Listening and the Leader

In this essay I will be discussing how leaders can identify, implement and further develop their effective listing skills. First question a leader must ask themselves, what does it takes to be an effective listener. Secondly, how can they implement effective listening to their everyday lifestyle. And finally, is there a way for one to improve effective listing at the individual level. Effective listing is and outstanding characteristic that sticks out within a great leader. Hearing has more to do with the act of hearing sounds rather than making sense and connecting with the person. While listening is the act of interpreting the information given to you from the person who is speaking. Instead of showing no emotions, leaders need to be more proactive and engaging when listing. Remember, for there to be effective listing, there must be a response from the listener.

How can someone truly know if they have good or even great listing skills? Looking back through the times of some great leaders, we can distinguish some common traits among them. They all knew that in order to be a great listener you must be approachable and willing to listen! In a quote told by Norman Schwarzkopf “To be an effective leader, you have to have a manipulative streak - you have to figure out the people working for you and give each tasks that will take advantage of his strength..” For you to recognize people’s full potential you must listen and observe. Even though you have the rank and the position, consider asking your peers for suggestions. A great article by Nate Player stated that to “Keep an open mind and seek advice. Every team has experienced members that are an extremely valuable resource.”

It is important for leaders to be able to implement effective listing to ever day encounters. Effective listening is not something that comes naturally to many people. There are many barriers one must overcome in order to improve their effective listing. One of those is multitasking and technology. Technology is a great tool today; however, it is also the number one of the conversation killers. According to MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle “new technologies, cell phones in particular, are eroding the social fabric of our communities.” A good habit to have during a conversation is to provide the speaker with the all your attention. By multitasking you are in fact showing disrespect towards whoever is speaking. By following this tip leaders can better understand and communicate with subordinates and peers alike. 

Cite this page