Early in my coaching career I developed an hypothesis: There is no leadership growth without an improvement in listening skills. So far, this theory has served me well.
If someone challenged me to come up with a list of people I thought were truly good listeners, I would only be able to think of a handful. No, I wouldn’t be on that list (unless my wife wasn’t reading it!).
One person who is on that list is Sherry. I see her every week at Church. Three years ago my mother passed away. Sherry had heard about Mom’s passing and expressed her sympathies. I thanked her and thought that was the end of the conversation. It wasn’t. Sherry asked, “What was your mom like?” I replied with my $1.98 answer: “She was positive and always inspired me to think right about people.” I thought that was the end of the conversation. Nope. She kept going. With her understanding eyes fixed only on mine, she said, “Tell me more.” OK. She asked for it and she got it. I told her a couple favorite stories about Mom, and she did a marvelous job of listening. She was also in there with me verbally and visually. nodding and giving affirmation all the way. What an experience! I will never forget it. It reminds me of something I was told many years ago: Showing genuine interest in others and listening with empathy is one of the greatest compliments we can give.
How many times in your life have you been told you are a good listener? A lot? Great. Not so much?…hmm. This could be an important opportunity for you!
