Listening may be the top leadership skill to acquire.
I was listening to Andy Stanley teach a session on leading through organizational tensions. (It’s a rich presentation you can listen to here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/andy-stanley-leadership-podcast/id290055666?mt=2&i=337053510)
He made this point. When you are in the midst of a difference of approach or an opinion, listen so long that you can become an advocate of the point of view that wasn’t yours at the beginning. In other words, listen long and well enough that you can tell the other guy’s story.
I don’t do that, do you? My listening behavior is to hear the first words, make a judgment and to start building a case.
Stanley reminds us to put in the time. If our focus is listening as compared to stating, we just might learn something that changes our opinion or helps us to arrive at a better, well rounded decision.
