LISTENING HABITS ARE CRUCIAL
We must continue to learn! Period.
Whenever we come to a time in our lives that we no longer aspire to learn, we need to stop leading. Leaders are learners.
So, if I was to ask you “how are you doing in the learning department,” what would your answer be?
Before you shut the “door” on me, let me add this: I’m not referring to learning something because you have to, but because you want to, knowing it is important for you…
… learning a new skill
… enhancing your current skills
… developing yourself professionally
… etc
Most people technically give up learning the day they graduated from school even though learning never stops. We learn intentionally or unintentionally.
The latter doesn’t really do us any good because we are not consciously pursuing it, which means we don’t consciously process it…it HAPPENS to us!
I love this quote attributed to Mark Twain: “I never let school interfere with my education.”
One way to become a better learner is to become a better listener.
3 LISTENING HABITS
How often do we miss opportunities to learn, simply because we didn’t take time to listen …
…to listen to our hearts
…to listen to our conscience
…to listen to others
As a coach and counselor, I have the opportunity and privilege of listening to hundreds of stories from some of the most remarkable people I’ve ever met.
Part of my training is to listen without bias. Let me be the first to admit that this is not an easy practice. Those who would say listening like this is easy, haven’t truly listened.
This kind of listening–THE LISTENING HABITS–requires concentration, focus, and most importantly neutrality in judgment. The latter is HARD.
But I’ve found that over time I’ve become better at this kind of listening and have learned so much as a result of it.
You have these opportunities happening everyday around you.
I want to challenge you today to take time to listen. Listen to learn. Take the position of not-knowing even when you may know. Become curious. Practice the above-mentioned habits.
One of the presentations that I teach to groups is EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION. Here is where I break down the art of ACTIVE LISTENING, which is what I described above.
If this is an area that you need help in, let me know. There are other tools and strategies that I use to help my clients and it’s also a part of some of the presentations that I give to groups. If you know of a group that could use my service, please let me know. You can see some short videos of me speaking HERE.
Remember, I’m here to help you Optimize for success! So reach out today!
If you are interested in being coached in this area or have me consult with or present to a group that you are a part of or know a group that could benefit from this kind of teaching, reach out to me and let me know.
In the meantime, leave a comment below to share your thoughts with us.
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