Dan Rather, CBS anchor, once asked Mother Teresa what she said during her prayers. She answered, "I listen." So Dan turned the question and asked, "Well then, what does God say?" Mother Teresa smiled with confidence and answered, "He listens." Sermon Central Newsletter, Max Lucado, p. 71 (October 13, 2008).
Many business leaders have a hard time listening. After all, they are the “Boss”. They already know what’s best for the organization. It doesn’t even occur to them to listen. Or, they don’t want to waste their time doing so. They don’t solicit advice from underlings often. When they do, it’s so their subordinates will think they are “involved” (read: important), not for their insights. Often domineering, they do most of the talking. They suffer from the “I’m the smartest guy in the room” complex, bolstered by their perceived superior access to information and executive level contacts.
Effective leaders take time to listen. They pop into offices, walk hospital and factory floors, ask questions of the “troops” and hear what they have to say. They do so with genuineness, humility and empathy, engendering trust. They seek information and perspectives from all organizational levels precisely because they don’t pretend to have all of the answers. They value the democracy of new ideas generated by their employees in bold contrast to the traditional top-down management style.
Leaders who listen avoid the perils of isolation, bolster their colleague’s morale and loyalty and gain intelligence and innovative thought to inform their decision-making. In the process, listening leaders create opportunities for informed dialogue with their employees, helping them gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the organization’s mission, values, strategies and initiatives. They stay in touch with reality.
Listening won’t qualify you for sainthood, but it will benefit the organization and people you have been appointed to serve.
June 2016