Listening Leaders

 

In Review: Leadership Roundtable

Listening Leaders

As part of The Leadership Collective, Bridge Innovate® hosted dinner and discussion at our second Leadership Roundtable for 2023. This roundtable’s theme was “listening leaders”—exploring the importance of communication and listening with respect as leaders.


Listening is not the act of hearing words spoken, it is the art of understanding the meaning behind those words.” –Simon Sinek

Why do we often find ourselves struggling to communicate in working relationships? According to Simon Sinek, “...this art requires more than the process of distinguishing audible sounds and words.” We are taught to communicate effectively through reading, writing, and public speaking in school—how come we are never taught how to properly listen?

Thankfully, we can learn to listen. According to the Harvard Business Review, high-level leaders must understand that effective listening is an imperative skill. It is an actionable thought process that can bring a positive impact to your working environment. At our recent Leadership Roundtable at the Bridge Innovate® Studio, we heard from three members of our Executives-in-Residence about their experience(s) with listening. Our participants heard stories that described what it felt like to be heard; to be seen by a leader. When a leader takes time to listen for the sake of truly understanding—the resulting impact can be exponential.

We also heard about strategic changes made for a medical supply company—leading to both innovation and iteration upon key products. The resulting company growth caused the company to become a familiar, household name. This growth was only made possible by taking customer feedback into account. The combined effort to actively listen to constructive feedback led to revamped marketing campaigns backing newer, better products—resulting in a huge growth in sales.

Lastly, we learned about the process of recovering from a failure to listen. We are all human—and can occasionally struggle to be present and value others’ inputs. It is possible to deflate your team members, and you may lose critical information that could make a huge difference within your organization. Recovering can involve addressing the failure head-on, and inviting the team member to be properly heard. A strong commitment to active listening will require a willingness to restore lines of communication.

Amy C. Edmondson writes, “True listening conveys respect—and in subtle but powerful ways reinforces the idea that a person’s full self is welcome…” (The Fearless Organization, 2019). We can learn to listen. To listen effectively can be truly impactful. Creating a culture of open communication allows for us to be our authentic selves, and to bring the best out of ourselves, and our coworkers.


Bridge Innovate® is proud to offer the Leadership Roundtable as part of our Curiosity Series; our programming designed to facilitate continual learning for leaders in the region. Register for the next Leadership Roundtable on August 31st or sign up for other upcoming events to unlock your leadership.

 
Mark Erickson