Working with a Bad Listener
Before you give up on the bad listener on your team (which, of course, might be your boss… or, um… you?!), have you considered what you could do to improve communications?
This article by Rebecca Knight offers some great tips and reminders, along with two brief case studies that illustrate some practical strategies. Like so many things, we don’t get to control the outcome of a conversation. But we do get to choose how we approach it, and whether we develop our own interpersonal skills.
Here’s a brief excerpt, highlighting three ‘Do’s from the article (that second one is simple but powerful):
- “Make sure your colleagues feel heard and understood by validating their points.
- Stress the importance of your message before launching into the conversation: ‘I have something important to say, and I need your help.’
- Consider broaching the idea of a social contract for your team that would put parameters on how colleagues interact with each other.”
If you’re interested in digging into the specific communication issues that are showing up on your team, or gathering feedback on your own leadership and communication skills, I’d love to talk with you about the Leadership Circle Profile 360° assessment. You can reach me here.
, have you considered what you could do to improve communications? This article by Rebecca Knight offers some great tips and reminders, along with two brief case studies that illustrate some practical strategies. Like so many things, we don’t get to control the outcome of a conversation. But we do […])
