Signs That You’re Listening as a Boss
One of the most important skills that a boss must have is the ability to listen. There are a lot of leaders who know how to delegate tasks. They are able to express themselves well. They have no issues when it comes to communicating their thoughts and making sure everyone understands what they are saying. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to listen well. There are others who seem to not care about what other members of the team would say.
If you are a boss who does not know how to learn, there is something wrong with your leadership style. You might think that you are on top of everyone else and you need not hear what others have to say. This could make your employees feel bad. Instead of getting respect, they could end up disobeying you. Here are some signs that you really know how to listen.
You don’t interrupt
When other people speak, you listen to them. You just sit there and be totally focused to what they have to say. Let the other person speak up until the thought is done before you say a word. You can interrupt every now and then just to guide the conversation to the right way, but don’t do it often.
You don’t make faces
Regardless of what the other person says, you should not make faces. Don’t show that you are bored or not interested with what was being said. You can nod if you agree. You can also smile when you like what they are saying. You may also lean your body forward just to show that you really are interested. You should also maintain eye contact. Avoid tapping your feet as it is a signal that you want the other party to speed up.
You should not make conclusions right away
If you tend to assume what the speaker is going to say next or conclude in the end, you are not a good listener. You assume the role of the speaker. In this conversation, you are the listener so don’t try to finish the other person’s sentence. It does not help. You can ask questions if there are unclear thoughts, but this should be as far as you can go.
You must not pretend like you understand everything
You might be smart and you feel like you have already heard the argument before. This does not mean though that you can just assume you have understood everything. It is still important to make clarifications. You can also paraphrase the thoughts just to make it clear to both of you the main message. If you think it is clear, you can give your reactions, but not in a conclusive manner.
In the end, you are still going to make the decision for the organization. At the very least, you hear what other people have to say during the process. They might have something valuable to contribute as well. You should just be there to listen and be respectful.
Photo Attribution:
Featured and 1st image from https://i2.wp.com/blog.kamihq.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/photodune-10611920-young-man-explaining-new-business-plan-to-coworkers-m.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1
2nd image from https://www.glamour.com/gallery/13-signs-youre-a-goodor-badboss
