Importance of Active Listening

Maybe it’s easy for me to say, as a flaming (🔥) introvert, but what is the most underrated leadership skill? Listening. In a world that often rewards the loudest voice in the room, it's easy to forget that real influence doesn’t always come from speaking—it comes from truly hearing others. When leaders listen deeply, they signal respect. They create space for others to feel seen, valued, and safe. And in that space, trust takes root. Listening helps leaders: ▪️ Uncover perspectives they might otherwise miss ▪️ Make more informed decisions ▪️ Strengthen relationships ▪️ Build cultures of inclusion and engagement (Which matters in 2025 more than ever!) Anyone can speak. But to listen with intent—without interrupting, problem-solving, or waiting for your turn to talk—that takes humility and discipline. And the paradox? The more a leader listens, the more their words carry weight when they do speak. TLDR? In leadership, silence isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom.

Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who don’t have anything to say. Let me take you through a story today. Imagine this: Manisha, a leader at a fast-growing company, is known for her subject-matter expertise and decisive style. However, there’s one problem—Manisha rarely listens to her team’s input. She’s so focused on finding solutions that she often brushes off her team’s ideas, assuming she already knows the best answer. At first, her team shared feedback and brought ideas to the table. But gradually, they started holding back. Meetings became quieter, morale slipped, and eventually, Manisha found herself surrounded by people who no longer had much to say. How do the right leaders tackle this? When leaders listen, they build trust and make people feel valued. And those feeling fuels motivation, innovation, and a sense of purpose within the team. A healthy team isn’t just about hitting targets; it’s about building psychological safety where everyone’s voice counts, where even the quietest idea is given room to grow. The result? End of quite quitting, moonlighting, and great resignation! A truly engaged team is one that feels - heard, respected, and empowered. Let’s be leaders who listen—not just for our own growth but for the team’s success as well. My mantra is simple: 80% listening and 20% speaking. Use this and you will start seeing the difference. When was the last time you listened without interrupting or simply opened up space for new ideas? How do you make sure you’re actively listening to your team? #leadership #listening #teamengagement #healthyworkculture

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲. We once had to shut down four city blocks in downtown Phoenix for a private Macklemore concert. On the surface, it sounds like logistics. In reality, it was about trust. It took a month meeting with city departments, knocking on doors, and listening to city employees who mostly wanted to help the public, get a paycheck and benefits, plus not lose their job. Each had their own concerns: safety, traffic, liability or what would their boss do to them. Instead of pushing my agenda, I focused on their pain points and showed that I understood what mattered to them.  After the month of planning, we started at 2:15 the morning of the concert, to set up - they would not let us close the roads, then I convinced them it was okay, after the bars closed. That’s how you move big, complicated projects forward. Not with pressure. Not with shortcuts, instead - by giving people confidence that you see them, hear them, and will protect their interests (if nothing else, that they won’t get fired, their kids will be okay and life will be good). The principle is simple. 𝐈𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬. 𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. Whether you’re closing a deal, running a campaign, or trying to get four blocks of a city to shut down, the foundation is the same: trust built through listening. What’s one way you’ve built trust in a tough negotiation? #Trust #Negotiation #DealMaking #TILTTheRoom #MediaLaw #Macklemore Christopher Voss Kwame Christian, Esq., M.A. Alexandra Carter Dr. Robert Cialdini Scott Tillema

Ever sat in a presentation and started asking for the next slide or completing people’s words or stating, ‘Got it!’ before they’ve finished their point? Ever continued looking at your computer, iPad or mobile screen when someone enters your office to share an update, or just ask a question? Ever nodded impatiently when someone is asking you a question, or interjected to answer what you assume to be their query? Ever asked a colleague to clarify a point and before they’ve finished explaining the full picture, you cut them off – because you heard all you thought you needed to hear? In any of these situations – and probably many more besides – you are guilty of not listening. What are you signalling when you’re keen to move people along and shut them off? - These people are insignificant. - Their queries are trivial, self-evident or silly. - I am more important that you - and my time is more valuable than yours. How is that behaviour helping your people grow, stay motivated and deliver in line with expectations? And how is that behaviour helping you grow? If you’re a rational human being, you know you can’t know everything, or know everything they know – so why behave in a way that limits the likelihood of them sharing queries, perspectives and ideas with you? Even if you do typically know what they tell you, how does not listening create an environment where people want to share ideas and data that support better decision making? Not listening and impatiently hurrying people along turns people off – it literally cuts off their ability to engage with you. Because when humiliated of embarrassed, people are more focused on regaining emotional stability than paying attention to anything you have to say. Not only does not listening limit your access to information and learning, it limits the likelihood of colleagues saying: Now there’s someone who gets the best out of me and makes coming to work a joy! If you recognize this habit, can you reflect on what is causing this behaviour? Do you typically leave everything to the last minute, so you have no time to engage constructively with people? - If yes, can you devote more energy to time management, delegation and prioritization? Do you really believe you have full information, full knowledge - and always make the right decision? - Can you engage your curiosity and restrain your judgment in those moments? (Perhaps repeat the phrase: What if I am wrong? What if I don’t know?) How do you want to be perceived - and remembered? - As the person who just doesn’t listen or show interest in anyone’s opinions except their own? - Or the leader with an open mind, keen to engage with – and learn from – those around them? Can you take the load off – the load of showing you know, interrupting, racing to the finish of the interaction – and just enjoy listening? Not listening is Marshall Goldsmith's Bad Habit #16. It's a key leadership derailer. #leadershipgrowth #eq #selfawareness #selfmanagement

During a recent group coaching session with senior leaders, one of the participants shared a powerful insight. He often found himself, especially in CXO conversations, mentally preparing his next point while the other person was still speaking. We discussed the importance of listening to understand rather than just to respond. He decided to apply this in an upcoming high-stakes meeting with his leadership team. The outcome? The conversation shifted. By being fully present and actively listening, he built deeper trust and created a space for collaboration. His CXO counterpart felt truly heard, and the meeting resulted in stronger solutions and better alignment. Sometimes, real leadership is about stepping back and giving others the space to be understood. As you head into your next CXO conversation, try listening with full intent—you might be surprised at the impact. #ExecutivePresence #CXOConversations #Leadership #ActiveListening #TrustBuilding

A Listening Session Is Only Useful If It Leads to Change I once attended a company-wide “listening session.” The executive team said all the right things, and they meant them: “We want to understand what’s getting in the way.” “No question is off limits.” “We’re here to learn.” But three months later? Nothing had changed, and that silence said more than any promise. Because listening alone isn’t enough. Sometimes being heard is valuable in itself. But sustained engagement comes when people see their voice shape action and doesn’t disappear into a vacuum. When that doesn’t happen, the message received is: It didn’t matter. And that’s when damage sets in: 🧩 Trust erodes 🧩 Engagement drops 🧩 People stop speaking up You’re better off not holding a listening session at all than running one that creates hope with no follow-through. Research backs this up: Gallup found that when leaders follow up after engagement surveys, trust and retention improve significantly. Not because everything was fixed, but because people felt heard and respected. So what does closing the loop actually look like? → Acknowledge what you heard. Don’t leave people guessing. → Be honest about what’s changing and what’s not. → Share the why behind your decisions. Even if the answer is complex, context builds credibility. You don’t need perfect solutions. But you do need to show people that their voice counts. Reflection prompts: → How do you share back what you hear from listening sessions or surveys? → What unintended signals might silence or inaction be sending? → Where have you seen simple follow-up build deeper trust? What’s your take on this? #employeevoice #trustbuilding #feedbackloops #culture #leadershiphabits #cultureinpractice Lily Woi Coaching Limited

24 years ago, I learned a lesson in a billion-dollar CEO’s office that stayed with me. The best leaders I’ve been around weren’t the ones who spoke the loudest or held the most authority. They were the ones who knew how to receive, the ones who could take in the full weight of what someone was saying, even if the words came out messy, heated, or uncomfortable. I watched as an employee came in, voice raised, frustration pouring out in sharp words that felt closer to an attack than feedback. I expected the CEO to shut it down, to demand respect, to set the tone. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, stayed silent, and let the man finish. When the room finally quieted, I asked him why he allowed it. His answer has never left me: “If I react to the delivery, I’ll lose the message. My job is to hear the message.” That perspective reshaped how I see leadership. Too many leaders are quick to defend themselves, quick to react to tone, quick to silence the discomfort. But in doing so, they often lose the truth that could have helped them grow their culture, their strategy, or their people. The real strength of a leader is not in shutting people down, but in creating an environment where the truth can be spoken without fear. And the connection is clear: when truth can be spoken, trust is built. When trust is built, performance follows. So here’s the lesson I carry forward: don’t waste your energy reacting to how feedback arrives. Your responsibility is to listen for the truth inside it, because that truth, not the tone, is what shapes a stronger team. #Leadership #Listening #Trust #OrganizationalCulture #HumanLeadership #PsychologicalSafety #GrowthMindset

Hear More, Speak Less We think of courage as boldness, as speaking up, as saying the hard thing. But courage is often quieter… It’s the discipline to listen longer than feels comfortable. To hold space when everything inside you itches to interrupt, defend, or correct. Have you ever listened half-heartedly not to understand, but to reload your next point? Or nodded politely while quietly dismissing what was being said? Or rushed a colleague, partner, or child just to get back to your own thoughts? These moments are everywhere and they shape trust more than we admit. Harm is not always loud. It often arrives softly: In lazy interpretation. Careless phrasing. The rush to advise rather than absorb. We claim to value kindness but we rush others through their words. We listen only until we’ve heard enough to reply. We grant sympathy selectively to those who express themselves well. Hidden wisdom: Listening isn’t the space between speaking. It’s a complete act of service. It’s how we tell people they matter without needing to say so explicitly. The Mega Genius understands: True listening is not passive. It’s an active discipline: To surrender the spotlight, to allow someone else’s truth to exist fully before we impose our own. In my own life I’ve seen this play out: I’ve watched people feel unseen not because anyone spoke harshly but because no one really listened. I’ve learned this the hard way: You can be skilled in speech and still fail in presence. You can speak with polish but listen with impatience. And that gap between presence and polish is where relationships quietly break down. Before we rush to respond, before we rush to advise: Are we truly hearing? Are we listening to understand or listening to control? Next time you’re in conversation, pause for three breaths after they finish speaking. Not to fill the silence but to feel what they just shared. Listening longer is not weakness. It’s not indulgence. It’s courage in its purest form. Because when we listen longer than we want to, we allow what was said to truly land… and we allow the person speaking to truly feel held. The ones who listen best lead best.

The #1 Leadership Skill That Most Leaders Get Wrong I bet you've heard this before → it's active listening. But what does it really mean? After many years in leadership roles, I've noticed this: People enjoy working with me when they see that I genuinely focus, listen, and seek to understand the conversation—not just respond immediately. Harvard Business Review defines active listening as a skill that turns conversations into “non-competitive, two-way interactions”—where you tune into both someone’s words and emotions. Why does this matter? • Great listeners are seen as more trustworthy and empathetic (HBR) • 79% of employees who trust their employer are more motivated to work (Deloitte) • 70% of team engagement is attributable to the manager (Gallup) • Yet only 56% of employees feel their senior leaders listen. (TrainingMag) Why is this happening? Most of us think we're listening, but we're just waiting for our turn to talk. With so many tasks demanding attention, it's easy to have little patience for conversations. However, I've found the opposite approach brings better results: Active listening builds trust. In a work culture, prioritizing trust over hierarchy makes people feel confident sharing ideas and concerns with leadership, as HBR notes. More trust = more information for leadership to make smarter decisions → a stronger company. For me, these 7 tips have been invaluable for becoming an active listener: 1. Be fully present – Treat each conversation as an experience requiring full attention, not something you do while multitasking. 2. Practice empathy – Understand what the speaker is feeling and verbalize it. 3. Resist the urge to interrupt – Don't divert the conversation into your own stories. 4. Paraphrase and summarize – Say, "What I'm hearing is..." instead of sharing your opinion right away. 5. Ask questions that benefit the speaker – Prioritize understanding their message over your curiosity. 6. Help them find their own solution – Guide the speaker to create solutions rather than impose yours. 7. Ask open-ended questions – "What else should I know?" helps them elaborate and deepens understanding. Trust the process: When teams feel truly heard, they commit with more passion. They bring fresh ideas. They work with us, not just for us. At AVID Products, this philosophy has helped us navigate challenges as a leading EdTech company and build a work culture where people want to stay and contribute for 10, 15, and even more years. When applying these principles, remember—only listen when you have time. Don’t do it halfway. Be upfront about how much time you can give, and offer full attention, listening, and empathy.

It’s not one big mistake that kills trust… It’s your tiny daily habits. Most successful leaders know: relationships rarely fall apart because of one big incident. It’s the small, daily habits in how we speak that quietly erode trust over time. (Join Justin Bateh and me for more about how to recognize the hidden signals that erode trust on Aug 26th: https://lnkd.in/gvwchpk9) Research shows that these seemingly minor behaviors have a huge impact on how others perceive your leadership: 1. The Interrupter ❌ Cutting others off sends the message, “My ideas matter more than yours.” Even well-intentioned interruptions can chip away at psychological safety. 2. The Dismisser ❌ Phrases like “That’s not important right now” or “Let’s move on,” and dismissive body language (eye rolls, checking your phone) make people feel unheard. 3. The Credibility Underminer ❌ Constantly saying “kind of,” “maybe,” or “I think” leaves you sounding uncertain, even when you’re not. 4. The Non-Listener ❌ Not following up or paraphrasing responses shows disinterest. When you pass up a chance to say, “Tell me more,” you miss a moment to build connection. 5. The Inconsistent Gazer ❌ Erratic eye contact creates subtle discomfort. People wonder if you’re hiding something—or not fully present. As a coach to women executives, I often see these patterns affect female leaders more. Many of us were raised to be “nice” rather than direct, which can unintentionally undercut our authority. The upside? Small changes make a big difference: ✅ Stop and focus on what they other person feels is important right now ✅ Instead of interrupting, take a breath and let them finish ✅ Say what you want to say (and skip the qualifiers) ✅ Ask one qualifying question before moving on ✅ Practice keeping eye contact for 3 seconds Trust isn’t built on grand gestures, but on consistent, respectful communication. P.S. What habits have you noticed in your workplace? (I’ve been guilty of being an Interrupter and a Dismisser due to rushing) ♻️ Repost to help others build trust through conversation Follow me, Jill Avey for more leadership insights Research: Academy of Management Review https://lnkd.in/g-wxFvzr