Listening is the foundation of story-centred leadership. It sounds simple, but in practice it can be one of the hardest things to do well.
If you’ve ever caught yourself listening while simultaneously preparing your response, it’s easy to mistake waiting for your turn to speak with actual listening.
I’ve caught myself doing this too. Someone is sharing an idea, and part of my mind is already moving ahead to what I want to say next.
Years of practising story listening have taught me that good listening means setting aside the need to be right, to fix, or to immediately respond, and creating space for someone else’s perspective.
It’s not a one-and-done. I still catch myself doing it, but I notice it faster now.
Listening is a practice. It requires attention, curiosity and a willingness to stay with someone else’s perspective before rushing to your own.
I explored this idea in my contribution to Sally Percy's Forbes piece on how leaders can manage difficult conversations, including the role listening plays in creating more productive conversations.
Thanks for the feature, Sally.
Read the full article Here