‘What is the most important leadership skill of all?’ is the title of a post I uploaded earlier this week. Based on the comments people have made, I’ve expanded the actual phrases you might use to show that you’re really listening to someone. ‘It seems like…’ has been shown to be a power phrase: the actual words that made a difference to the quality of a conversation.
Deeper listening is one of the most critical skills that a leader can develop. When people feel heard, it unlocks collaboration, builds trust and allows new ideas to flow. This critical skill is, however, often overlooked and many leaders are at a loss to even get started.
The post outlines the three skills of active listening that enable leaders to draw people together so that everyone is pulling in the same direction. Drawing on recent research, I share a real-life example of how a team used these skills to navigate a stuck meeting and a practical exercise for you to have a go yourself. You can also download a free insights paper about how to make dialogue authentic here.
