| Remember the last time you were telling someone a story and two-thirds of the way in, their gaze moved from you to their phone?
...They began typing. But still occasionally lifted their face to make eye contact and nod once in a while. After all, they wanted you to know they were still listening.
Do you remember? Now, can you remember how it made you feel?
Probably not real great. Because even though that person may have heard what you were saying, you knew they weren't actually listening at that point. Somewhere in between the moment you two began your conversation and the moment where he or she decided this text must be sent right this moment(!), you became less important.
As leaders, we want to make our team members feel valued, not irrelevant. This is why honing in your active listening skills is so important.
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