Be a Better Listener to have first Mover advantage in Life
Being an attentive listener has never been more crucial or challenging for leaders. For leaders, there has never been a greater need or difficulty in listening intently. Job switching is common, and working at a distance keeps us from noticing the nonverbal cues that would be there in a face-to-face conversation. Employers that don't listen well to their staff members' problems will see a higher rate of employee turnover. Moreover, the risk is apparent since the highest turnover rates are seen among frontline employees who oversee the customer experience and high achievers who may take projects and clients with them. This is a clear example of the culture at work. Developing Your Listening Skills In each given discussion, an individual seeks to accomplish two objectives: firstly, to comprehend the other person's message (including its implicit meaning and the emotion that underlies it); and secondly, to project attention, involvement, and concern to the other party. This second objective goes beyond being kind, which alone would be sufficient motivation. People will stop sharing information if they don't feel like they're being heard. In the wake of COVID-19, listening has never been more crucial. People affected became physically and psychologically demanding, or more challenging. There are worries that their near ones might find it challenging to express for a variety of reasons, from mental fog to the sheer novelty of the situation we faced years ago. It is imperative that we all take the time to truly listen, comprehend the situation, avoid giving cliched replies in response, and acknowledge our own listening shortcomings so that we may work on them. You can't yell at your own brain and mold that raw, gray cement, so please have compassion for yourself. What you can do is identify your areas of weakness and strengthen those areas for a more effective execution! “To say that a person feels listened to means a lot more than just their ideas get heard. It's a sign of respect. It makes people feel valued.” — Deborah Tannen, Georgetown University