Outstanding Leaders Not Only Listen They Hear (Then They Shut Up)

It’s 2017 and have you noticed how our world just seems to be noisier?  Everywhere I go I hear people interrupting each other, talking and shouting over and under each other.

Be honest…

• How often are you truly there for the other person whom you are having a conversation with?
• How often do you listen and hear with intent on what the other person is saying to you, or are you already deciding what you are going to say back, even before they finish their sentence?
• When do you learn most, when you are speaking or when you are listening?

Some of the most outstanding leaders I have met over the years, are the ones who talk less and listen more.

I love the Dalai Lama’s quote…
“When you talk you are only repeating what you already know, but if you listen you may learn something new.”

Never forget that people don’t always need advice.  Sometimes what they need and are crying out for is a listening ear and some clear space, but most of all, the heart of a leader who truly understands.