A leader must focus on providing solutions, ideas and standards within the area that he performs to make the team successful and achieve the goals they set. Sometimes, some leaders lose the vision of what they want to achieve, as mentioned in “7 leadership blind spots to avoid”, so it is of great importance to maintain an “active listening” in the field of work, which allows a connection between all the tasks performed by the members of an organization.
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What is active listening?
Positive leaders must have the ability to get a lot of information out from their workers through the listening to make the right decisions within the field of work, that is, they must be attentive to “phrases or statements” that the team can express to know what the problem is and how to face it, listening works like an effective tool for conflict resolution.
“Active listening” is based on making a conscious effort to be able to listen attentively to the words or phrases evoked by one or more interlocutors, in this way, it is possible to understand the totality or a large part of the message that the other person wishes to convey (better understanding his ideas) thus improving the communication process.
Process of active listening
Active listening is a great tool for leadership, in fact, goes hand in hand because it allows having a better vision and understanding of an organization’s environment, therefore the following points must be considered:
Pay attention: to maintain an active listening it is necessary to focus on the interlocutor, to be aware of the moment, of what is being expressed, of what are the non-verbal signals transmitted by that person and how the receiver behaves.
Judgments are not welcome: in order for communication to flow and be maintained, it is necessary to keep an open mind, seek to see the other’s “point of view” and wait until the person has finished speaking before making any observations.
Empathy must be present: in order for the interlocutor to feel confident and give his full message it is important to show that there is interest in what he says, either nodding occasionally or paraphrasing to understand better.
Ask questions: if there is any doubt is important to ask questions that clarify the message, so that misunderstandings can be avoided in the future.
Benefits of active listening for a leader
In the organizational level, active listening provides benefits very positive for leaders because it increases the confidence within the work team, provides calm in the face of conflict because there is the assurance that dialogue and a solution can be found. In addition, it encourages greater participation among workers; that is, when a leader listens attentively to the staff in charge, he transmits security, thus giving way to a positive working climate and the expression of ideas (or demands), which will improve the work climate and allow the organization to achieve its goals and objectives.
What can happen when a leader does not apply active listening?
Leaders have a definite vision of what they want to achieve and what they need to do to accomplish their goals, which is the right thing to do when leading, however, said vision is sometimes personal and sometimes not shared with others, that is, it is assumed that some points of the tasks that are carried out are understood and will be executed by the group as the leader visualizes it, it is at this point where the differences within the team can begin and cause a decrease in its effectiveness, for this it is considered very important to constantly practice “active listening” when leading a group or work team.
What do you think about this topic? What other tools are important for a leader?
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