Did you know, "leaders who prefer to listen, over talk, are more effective" according to research by leadership expert Jack Zenger.
And not only are they more effective, they're more likely to progress into senior positions, with 63% of leaders in top management positions, preferring listening over talking.
The problem is that almost 50% of leaders in more junior roles prefer talking over listening!
They see communication as them doing the talking while everyone else sits back and listens.
Seriously, is there anyone who enjoys listening 100% of the time? Surely not!
So, it's no surprise that communication, across organisations, regularly comes up in employee engagement surveys as an area of concern. Staff don't feel like they know what's going on, or they don't feel well informed on an issue, they don't feel supported or included.
Leaders will default to solving this problem with more talking, more team meetings, more emails. But it doesn't solve the real problem, which is to be heard, to have the opportunity to contribute, to be asked for their opinion and generate new ideas.
So, how well do you listen as a leader?
Are you fully present in your conversations with your staff or is your attention divided?
Think they can't tell when your mind is elsewhere?
And it might be the one thing that's holding you back in your career!
Stay awesome!
Shelley
