Here's how you can enhance your leadership skills through active listening.

Cultivate active listening for improved leadership skills, which means listening completely to the speaker, making eye contact, and not interrupting the speaker. Dealing with Feelings: Acknowledge feelings and reflect the feelings while paraphrasing the key points. Set open-ended questions to elicit meaningful responses and contribute feedback to show appreciation. Listening to one another will create greater trust, open communication, and problem-solving. It gives your team members power and promotes teamwork so that you can make better decisions and improve your leadership skills.

There are many levels of listening from straight out ignoring to true empathic listening. Empathic listening is the 'gold standard' of listening when you're truly present and listening to the other person. A good way to check yourself if you're being a great listener is to ask yourself this: - Am I truly listening without adding in my story or context or opinion? - Am I truly putting myself in their shoes and seeing their world from their eyes? - Am I truly understanding the emotion of what the person is feeling while they are talking to me? A great way to check this is to ask and confirm if what they've said is what you heard. There is immense power when a person feels heard and valued.

Effective listening requires focusing on both verbal and non-verbal cues. Pay attention to the speaker's words, tone, and body language. Avoid interrupting and let them finish their thoughts. Reflect back what you hear to ensure understanding, using phrases like "What I hear you saying is...". Listen for underlying emotions and needs, not just the content. This deeper level of listening helps in understanding the full context and addressing the root issues, leading to better decision-making and stronger relationships. Ask permission to make observations. For example, I can hear what you’re saying is very serious, but I’m noticing that you’re laughing as you say it. So I’m curious as to what is going on for you right now.

Listening is not just a physical or intellectual process, it need to be an emotional process as well. If you're listening intently, you're not just listening to what your team member is saying, but you are also listening to what the person is feeling. Tuning into the other person's emotions is critical for active listening

When we examine what has us naturally listen intently, it's often because we are curious. Cultivating curiosity about the other person and their take on the situation allows our natural curiosity to emerge. Listening intently and being engaged with them will naturally occur. Tips for being curious: Consider that they could say something that you've never considered before. Are you open to being surprised? Consider that your perceptions of them, what they know and how the conversation will go are an incomplete picture. What can you learn about them and their thinking in this interaction? Consider that you don't have all the answers and they might!

To enhance leadership skills through active listening, start by showing empathy. Empathy involves understanding and sharing the feelings of others. Practice being fully present during conversations. Avoid distractions like phones or emails. Use open body language, such as uncrossed arms and nodding, to show you are engaged. Validate the speaker's emotions by acknowledging their feelings without judgment. This builds trust and makes team members feel valued and understood, fostering a positive work environment. When playing back feelings don’t assume. Check that you have got it right. Eg I’m hearing that you’re frustrated that I haven’t communicated enough with you about what’s expected. Have I got that right?

I often suggest slowing down the conversation if they struggle with empathy. Allowing pauses to reflect and consider what is being said. This can give both parties time to examine their own experience and connect with the experience of the other, the essence of empathy. Reflections to stimulate empathy: What is this person trying to communicate that is not being said? If they are upset or there is conflict, what are the values that they hold, which are under threat or being suppressed in the current situation? What would I experience if I were in their place? What do they need that is not being provided?

Resolve Conflicts *Address issues promptly, reducing misunderstandings and improving relationships. AND Empower Others *Encourage participation, motivation, and growth by genuinely hearing and considering others' views.

Asking insightful questions is a cornerstone of effective leadership. It not only shows genuine interest but also encourages open communication and deeper insights, helping you lead more effectively and make informed decisions.

Asking the right, insightful questions is crucial to understanding the other party, and can emerge opportunities for positive influence, growth and development of the party involved. As a leader, the goal is to make sure the team gets inspired and influenced to become capable and, more importantly, become leaders themselves. So, the right questions create those opportunities.

Asking questions is crucial for active listening. Use open-ended questions to encourage detailed responses, such as "Can you tell me more about that?" or "How did that make you feel?". This shows genuine interest and helps gather more information. Avoid leading questions that suggest a particular answer. Instead, ask clarifying questions to ensure you understand the speaker's perspective. This approach not only demonstrates that you value their input but also helps in uncovering insights that can drive innovation and problem-solving. What you can also do is check in what the other person’s needs are: What do you need right now? What do you need from me?

Improve Communication *Clarify expectations, prevent miscommunication, and ensure everyone is on the same page. To develop active listening skills: *Practice Mindfulness Focus on the present moment, avoiding distractions. *Use Verbal Cues Reflect back what you've heard, ensuring understanding and encouraging the speaker to continue. *Ask Open-Ended Questions Encourage sharing and exploration of thoughts and feelings. *Paraphrase and Summarize Confirm comprehension and highlight key points.

You know when you've asked a great question when the other person needs to pause, look up perhaps, and ponder before answering. When you do this, you know you've tapped into a strategic imaginative side of their brain. Having your team think differently, weigh different scenarios and ultimately draw out their best strengths is a hallmark of a great leader. Here are a couple of tips of asking great questions: - Check your intent. The intent of you asking the question should come from empathy and curiosity, not judgement or weigh an opinion - Avoid using 'why' and shape every question using 'what' and 'how'. No matter the temptation, the answers you get back will be of high quality. - Be comfortable with silence as long as you can.

Ask questions: Encourage elaboration and clarification through open-ended, non-judgmental questions for comprehensive understanding. Provide feedback: Offer thoughtful, constructive responses focused on specific points, suggesting solutions or alternative viewpoints to contribute positively. Encourage participation: Create a safe, open atmosphere where all team members actively listen and provide feedback, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and respect.

When you ask questions about what you've listened to, it makes the other person feel valuable and heard. You can follow through with your discussion with the crucial points and work on expanding it further.

Here is a quick 3 step process I use to enhance my active listening skills through reflection: 1. Pause and Review: Take a moment to pause and review the interaction or situation you want to reflect upon. Recollect key details, emotions, and outcomes. 2. Analyze and Assess: Analyze your thoughts, feelings, and actions during the situation. Ask yourself what went well, and what could have been improved. 3. Draw Insights and Take Action: Reflect on the lessons learned. What specific actions or changes can you implement based on your reflections to improve your future interactions or decision-making?

Do not listen to your negative personal self-talk. No doubt, as a leader, you will be constantly faced with making difficult decisions. Whether it involves discipline, navigating through a critical situation or terminating someone’s employment. After the decision is made, the tendency is to go into this internal mode of self-talk. It’s perfectly normal to look back at the situation to re-evaluate what took place. In fact, you should always re-evaluate. Just like everything in business, never make it personal. The same applies to your self-talk, never make it personal unless it is positive.

We are often focused on the next task, the next meeting, the next conversation that we don't spend valuable time reflecting on our interactions to date. We can learn so much more when we reflect on what we've done and learned so we can apply it going forward. A few ideas to make this into muscle memory: - Close out each day with a quick reflection and ask 'what were you most proud about today as a leader' and 'what was the biggest learning I had today' - Find some quiet time throughout the week so you can reflect on the week that passed but also use it to plan the week ahead. - Reset the mindset that feedback and reflection is a 'bad' thing and use this as a means forward as growth, introspection, and improving your craft.

Listen without judgment: All HR leaders must maintain an impartial and open mindset during conversations. When you listen without making any judgments, you truly understand the employee's perspective, pain, and concern. This approach creates a safe space where individuals can put their points freely and honestly. By withholding judgment, HR officers and leaders gain comprehensive information on team dynamics, and deeper insights into work-related issues, challenges, and criticisms. By considering these diverse viewpoints you will be empowered to make better and more informed decisions. Ultimately, listening actively without judgment enhances your leadership skills and showcases your respect for every employee or individual.

Listening is one of the crucial skills that lifts your accountability as a leader. Active listening can be a learning element. Your ears and mind should be open to your team, reviews and customer feedback. While it may sound harder initially, you can learn to listen actively and improve yourself and your business with that skill.