RG Will Solutions LLC

Leadership Insight #2 – Listening with the Intent to Understand

Last week, I talked about how we typically listen with the intent to reply. I discussed how that can get in the way of connecting with others. This week, I want to discuss a higher level of listening, listening with the intent to understand.

As a Business Owner and a Consultant, Effective Communication is essential. In many cases, I work with clients who are dealing with complex problems. As such, I need to make sure that I truly understand what the problem is. If I listen with the intent to reply, our conversation becomes more of a back-and-forth discussion, each making our points.

Listening to Understand means you listen to a person’s words, emotions, and feelings. It involves suspending judgment and trying to capture what their words mean to them. You ask clarifying questions and focus on seeing things from their perspective. It’s about connecting and coming to a common understanding.

Once you understand what the other person is trying to say, then you share your ideas. This allows you to change or modify your communication based on your understanding of what the other is telling you. The exciting thing is that this has often helped me realize the root cause of a problem and focus on what I can do to help them begin to solve it.

Next week, we will start talking about how important it is for leaders to listen to their employees.

It's a Friday afternoon, snow and ice are still on the ground in spots, and we're all waiting for the weather to change this week. (That's part of living in Springfield, MO).

As I end my week, I wanted to say that I had the opportunity to attend a wonderful seminar sponsored by Connell Insurance this morning. The speaker, Mark Parrott, talked about "Meta-Trends and the Next Economy." I'm still digesting the incredible information he shared. I will post more about that later.

I wanted to remind everyone that a big part of being a leader is to constantly learn new things. As I've studied leadership over the years, I've seen where the best leaders realize that they don't know everything. In fact, the more I learn about leadership, the more I find that is out there to learn.

So, that's my message for this week, leaders. Keep on learning. Share your lessons with others. And be authentic as you lead. Have a great weekend!

Register here, https://workforce.otc.edu/business-solutions/rsvp-leadership-series/ to warm-up NOW for 2022 with New Leadership Strategies from CWD Industry Expert and author, Randy Will! (https://workforce.otc.edu/business-solutions/industry-experts/randy-will/)

RSVP Leadership Series - OTC Center for Workforce Development Join CWD Industry Expert, Randy Will, as he shares specific actions that you (aspiring leader or existing leader) can take to improve your leadership skills. These strategies are founded in authenticity. They will help increase your ability to get desired behaviors and elevate the performance out of...

Leadership & Management