Alexander Solzhenitsyn said, “The less you speak, the more you will hear.” As leaders, we must speak but the key is to master listening and empathy to gain the wisdom of what to say at the right time to the right person(s). Cultivating trust in interpersonal relationships with those you lead is achievable.
Active listening in business today
Research suggests that people spend about 55% of their time devoted to listening. However, most people usually remember about 17-25% of the things they listen to.
The Harvard Business Review states that active listening involves far more effort than most leaders realize. Countless problems arise within organizations, some with the potential to cripple an organization if left unchecked. And although listening skills are key to heading off potential crises, they are equally important for ensuring that good ideas can surface from anywhere.
As it turns out, the most respected and effective leaders don’t just listen to respond—they listen to understand, to guide, and to learn. Listening skills must be honed to ensure the whole message is fully understood—not just the content, but the motivation behind what’s being said, the circumstances around which the conversation is taking place, and even what might be left out of the conversation. Leaders must listen with ears and eyes, picking up on tone and physical cues to take the entire message in.
Organizational empathy
Empathy has always been a critical skill for leaders. In today’s agile workplace culture, it takes on a whole new level of meaning—and priority. New research demonstrates that empathetic leadership can drive significant business results—from innovation to retention.
People are experiencing multiple kinds of stress, and lives and work situations have been turned upside down—especially over the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. This stress pours into many different aspects of our lives, including our mental health, personal lives, and workplace performance, turnover, and customer experience.
Leaders don’t have to be experts in mental health to demonstrate they’re paying attention. Checking in and asking questions can go a long way. Additionally, companies should be educating their leadership about their mental health benefits as an additional way to share with their employees.
Incorporate empathy & listening skills into your leadership tool kit
As a frontline leader, supervisor, or HR practitioner, it’s more important now than ever before to increase your ability to actively listen and be empathetic in the workplace.
On Wednesday, February 23, DB Latimore Professional Services Group will hold its third leadership lab in this series, Incorporating Empathy and Listening Skills into Your Daily Leadership. The topics to be covered in this lab include:
- 5 strategies to develop empathy
- 6 steps to effective listening
- The importance of emotional intelligence
- Tools for bridge-building
- Understanding the speed of trust
Wanda Scott—founder and CEO of WE Consulting Solutions and facilitator of the lab—brings 25 years of expertise in managing customer expectations, managing people, and building knowledgeable workers in high-demand environments.
By honing in on our level of empathy and listening skills, a little bit of communication and attention can go a long way. Become an interpersonal leader and join us for our February 23 leadership lab, Incorporating Empathy and Listening Skills into Your Daily Leadership.
About our leadership labs
At DB Latimore Professional Services Group, we pride ourselves on our ability to couple context, capabilities, and coaching to create and develop transferable and actionable leadership competencies to create highly effective leaders.
Each lab in this year’s Leadership Development series offers participants the following experience:
- A Leadership Assessment before attending the virtual lab
- A one-on-one personal Assessment Debrief before attending the virtual lab
- A 2-hour virtual Development Lab which includes:
- A small-group breakout session
- A 1-hour virtual sustainability session and action plan 30 days following the lab
- Access to the Leadership Assessment, lab recording, and assignments
Check out our upcoming Leadership Labs to stay on top of the most relevant leadership skills in the workplace today.
- Improve Your Team’s Productivity Through Effective Delegation
- Maximizing Team Effectiveness
- Navigating Decision Making in Uncertain Times
These labs have been approved for HR (General) recertification credit hours toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™, and SPHRi™recertification through HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®).