Effective listening is a crucial skill for any leader. It allows you to understand your employees, make informed decisions, and build strong relationships. However, there are certain listening habits that good leaders avoid at all costs. These habits can hinder communication, create misunderstandings, and damage trust.
Here are four listening habits to watch out for:
Interrupting others: Interrupting someone while they are speaking shows a lack of respect and undermines their ideas. It can also disrupt the flow of conversation and prevent you from fully understanding what they are trying to say. As a leader, it’s important to allow others to finish speaking before jumping in with your own thoughts.
Pretending to listen: This is when you nod along and give nonverbal cues that you are listening, but you are actually distracted or not fully engaged in the conversation. This can be frustrating for the speaker and lead to misunderstandings or missed opportunities. Good leaders make a conscious effort to stay focused and fully present during conversations.
Only listening to confirm your own beliefs: It’s natural to want to agree with your own opinions, but good leaders are open to hearing different viewpoints and considering alternative perspectives. If you only listen to confirm your own beliefs, you are missing out on valuable information and potentially making poor decisions.
Allowing distractions: Poor listeners are easily distracted and may even create distractions for themselves and others. They may fidget or shuffle papers, showing little effort to conceal their boredom. These behaviors can interfere with their own listening efficiency. On the other hand, good listeners make an effort to minimize distractions and stay focused during conversations. They may even try to adjust to any external distractions that may be present. Additionally, good listeners do not create distractions for others and maintain a respectful environment for effective communication.
By avoiding these listening habits, you can become a more effective leader and foster positive communication.
Lead From Within: Good leaders know that listening is not just about hearing what others have to say; it is about being present and truly understanding their perspective.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
- 12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
- A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
- How to Succeed as A New Leader
- 12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
- 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
- The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
- The Deception Trap of Leadership
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.