Leaders are created. While there’s always some discussion of people being natural leaders, most of these individuals hone their skills over time. Sure, some people have more natural giftedness in this area, but all of their traits develop over time.
True leaders spend most of their time focusing on two traits that make them stand out from the competition:
- Communication: One conversation at a time is how leaders make a lasting impact on their workforce. Without strong communication, everything else suffers.
- Listening: An active listener is one who learns and understands the root cause of problems and then uses this information to influence others.
Effective communication increases productivity, according to 64% of business leaders. The opposite is true for those with poor communication skills because they cause others to waste more time than save it.
Leaders who want to stand out from the pack and make an impactful difference on their workforce need to do one thing above all else: become an active listener.
What is Communication, Really?
Interpersonal and business problems share a root cause of poor communication that causes businesses to suffer from:
- Productivity loss
- Loss of trust
- Lost time
Daily miscommunication is a problem for two-in-three leaders, ones who fail to communicate and share information in a way that the listener understands. You want to share information in a way that the other person receives it, puts a meaning on it, and understands it.
Someone has to be listening, and as a leader, it’s your responsibility to be that “someone”, to set the tone in your organization.
Speak less and listen more to find out the root cause of problems and better understand your team. When it’s time to deliver a message, the time you spent listening allows you to speak your audience’s language.
And effective leaders do this in a few ways.
They:
- Eliminate assumptions
- Clarify expectations
- Build feedback into communication
- Allow for interaction
- Process verbal and non-verbal messages
Effective communication requires a person to understand the recipient’s message before trying to communicate information to them.
Once you’re ready to convey your message, you must be sure that there’s no noise to block it from being heard.
Your 11-Point Blueprint to Become an Active Listener
An active listener is formed by following these guiding principles:
1. Focus on Understanding
Do you want to be understood? If so, you must adjust your perspective and become an active listener. Listening empowers you to understand, which sets the stage to be understood.
2. Actively Listen
Leaders must do the following to make conversations more impactful:
- Continually remind themselves to be active listeners.
- Work toward active listening because it will require discipline and effort.
- Focus on their followers as a way to stay in the zone and hear what others are saying.
This takes hard work! It can be draining, especially during a difficult conversation, but it’s worth the effort.
3. Be Present
Listening requires you to be present. Poor listeners disengage during conversations and get distracted quickly. Great leaders have a habit of staying in the present and making their followers feel valued.
Undivided support and focus show that you value the person.
For example, if I’m eating with a client and there is a television in the restaurant, I always sit with my back to it because it is distracting to me.
4. Avoid Interrupting
When someone is talking, let them talk. Allowing someone to finish what they’re saying before you respond is crucial.
Why? Because you can only hear the person and respond to them properly after you allow them to articulate themselves. I occasionally find myself doing this, but I recognize it and adjust accordingly.
Now, the only time I intentionally interrupt is when I want to finish a topic before moving onto something else.
5. Become an Empathic Listener
You listen with your ears, but it’s time to focus on your emotions and feelings. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes to understand their point of view. Communication is much easier when you can picture what a person is saying and feeling.
For example, as a leader, a harder conversation can be “why did you do that?” But listening to understand their why is so helpful because you can provide a better response and have a more productive conversation. You can uncover something that was misunderstood and the rationale behind their actions. You can then deal with the real cause rather than just having a negative conversation.
6. Watch for Non-verbal Cues
Non-verbal patterns are arguably just as, if not more, important than what the other person is saying. You can often “hear more” from non-verbals than you do from the words of a person, which is why:
- Non-verbal communication has a 55% of impact on others
- The tone of your voice has a 38% impact
Words only have a 7% impact, which is very telling.
7. Listen Until You Understand
Many leaders listen and respond before they even understand the root cause of a person’s problems. Great leaders give their undivided attention to the person who is speaking, listen to what they’re saying and don’t formulate responses in their head while the person is speaking.
So many people fall into this trap. We start out listening, but then in our heads, we are thinking of a response instead of actually listening.
8. Make Eye Contact
Eye contact is a form of engagement that doesn’t need words. Avoid distractions and keep your eyes focused on the other person talking.
9. Acknowledge Common Fears
Communication can make a person feel vulnerable and put them in a position where fear of rejection and being misunderstood are two very real concerns. Acknowledge common fears because this allows you to be a better active listener.
10. Clarify, Question, Re-State and Seek Feedback
Listening and seeking clarification by asking probing questions allows you to clarify a person’s thoughts and feelings. You should restate what the person has said in your own words and ask for direct feedback to gain a better understanding.
11. Block Out the Interference of Noise
I was on a conference call recently, and guess what happened? The fire company alarm went off and it was LOUD! I knew I had to shut the windows in my office to minimize the noise. Letting the noise in would ruin the conversation that I was trying to have.
However, noise can be anything:
- A car parked right next to your window with music blaring
- A strong odor of marijuana
- Something emotional and/or psychological in nature
For example, you might receive bad news right before an important meeting. Emotions from the bad news can stop you from properly communicating your message.
Remove distractions and get into the zone, and it’s much easier to be an active listener. I find taking a few quiet minutes immediately before a meeting is immensely helpful.
Great leaders work every day to hone their communication and listening skills so that their team buys into their message and works harder.
But it’s a skill that must be built and improved over time.
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