OS 57: Leadership Skills, Listening
b'\\u201cBeing listened to is so close to being loved that most people cannot tell the difference.\\u201d \\u2013David Oxberg\\n\\nThe Leadership Skills of The Musical Conductor\\n\\nListening is a primary skill for the Transformational Leader. My model for great leadership is based on the skills of the musical conductor, who is a great listener. Success is directly and immediately experienced as a result of effective leadership by the conductor. When the conductor does not get the desired result, then it\\u2019s time to change whatever technique or cue that\\u2019s not bringing the intended results.\\n\\nThe conductor knows what\\u2019s wrong because he or she is listening intently. To be able to draw out the best from the musicians, the conductor must listen to what\\u2019s going on in the room and respond appropriately.\\n\\nListening is key to understanding what\\u2019s really going on. The conductor has developed a rehearsal plan for achieving the desired results in a specific period of time, however thing happen that can\\u2019t be predicted when developing the plan. The competent leader pays attention to what\\u2019s happening and responds accordingly, just like the conductor.\\n\\nListening is an Underutilized Leadership Skill\\nMany leaders are not fully aware of the power of listening. Many are too busy attempting to activate their personal agendas to be aware of the necessary information available around them. The Transformational Leader builds strong leaders on teams. As in a symphony orchestra, the high-performance team is comprised of highly skilled individuals. When these highly skilled individuals function together as a unit, they must be able to fully access their individual skills and acquire an additional skill set, as well\\u2026the ability to listen and respond to others on the team. The finest orchestras in the world rehearse continuously in order to maintain the highest level of ensemble status. This is a skill set developed over time by rehearsing together.\\n\\nLeadership is a Culture of High Performing Leaders - An \\u201cEnsemble\\u201d\\nSo, why don\\u2019t business and nonprofit teams rehearse best practices? Why don\\u2019t team members learn to listen intently to what\\u2019s going on around them? It might be that the leader is setting an example of talking and listening. Leaders model, and team members receive \\u2013 good or bad.\\n\\nJust like a musical ensemble, the team is a reflection of the leader.\\n\\nSee What Others are Saying About Listening\\nIn his blog post,\\xa0\\u201cHow To Listen\\u201d, Seth Godin points out that there are 4 times the amount of Google searches for speaking over the number of searches for listening. We are obsessed with speaking and lose sight of the fact that listening is at least twice as important (clue: we have 2 ears and one mouth).\\n\\nIn his book, Tao of Leadership, John Heider says, \\u201cBut what cannot be said can be demonstrated: be silent, be conscious.\\u201d Listening is a skill that engages the whole person. Helen Kemp teaches children\\u2019s choirs the following, saying, \\u201cBody, mind, spirit, voice: it takes the whole person to sing and rejoice.\\u201d One could say similar things about leadership. \\n\\nTransformation Begins with the Leader\\nThe Transformational Leader is a fully present leader utilizing every sense and every skill. Leaders are present as a whole person.\\n\\nBeing fully present means that you are aware of what\\u2019s going on. Listening is the key to understanding.\\n\\nLet\\u2019s be quiet and see what happens.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'