What Happens When You Don’t Listen?

July 29, 2016 Liz Stincelli

“The art of effective listening is essential to clear communication, and clear communication is necessary to management success.” —James Cash Penney

We hear leadership experts incessantly harping on the importance of communication to effective leadership. But, is it going in one ear and out the other? There are two parts to communication. One, of course, being the sharing of information and emotions with others. The second being truly listening when others are sharing thoughts, ideas, feelings, and information. For some reason, the listening side of communication seems to be the hardest. So, what happens when you don’t listen?

Lack of empathy

When you don’t listen it’s impossible to have empathy. How can you determine how you would feel if you were in another’s shoes if you don’t listen to their details and emotions? Listening allows you to find points of connection with others on a deeper level; it allows you to empathize with their lived experiences.

Lack of understanding

When you don’t listen you miss out on gaining understanding. There is something you can learn from everyone you interact with but, you’re going to have to start listening. You never know, they might have insights to offer that you can’t see; you won’t know unless you listen.

Lack of appreciation

When you don’t listen others feel unappreciated. There is nothing that shows that you value someone more than truly listening to them. Listen without ulterior motives, without a prepared response, and without judgment shows true appreciation for who they are and what they have to share.

Lack of respect

When you don’t listen you show a blatant lack of respect. Turning a deaf ear sends the message that you think you know more than they do, that you see no value in what they may have to share, and that you don’t have enough respect for them to hear them out. Truly listening is an easy way to show respect for others and to earn their respect in return.

Start Listening

Communication is vital component in successful leadership. The importance of the listening side of the communication equation is often minimized because it is so easy to do, yet so easy not to do. When you don’t listen, it makes it impossible to empathize with others. You may also miss out on important information and insights. Listening shows others that you appreciate and value them. It is also a sign of respect. Maybe it’s time for you to start listening.

What step will you take today to show someone that you are truly listening?

Liz Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the Founder of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Liz holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Liz by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

Leadership

Plugging In

July 22, 2016 Liz Stincelli 2 Comments

I am not an ‘unplug’ person. I like being plugged in.” —Rachel Sklar

As a leader, how much of your time is spent on autopilot? You may have the title, you may even have the big corner office but, if you are leading in autopilot mode, you are no leader. So, how do snap out of the autopilot habit? You have to start plugging in as a leader. Here are four questions that you need to answer, not just when hiring, not once a year, not even once a week but, every single day.

Who are they?

You need to really plug into your employees. Not just on a professional level, but on a personal level. Who are they? What is their family like? What are their hobbies? This doesn’t mean you become your employees’ best friend. What it does mean is that you get to know them, show interest in them as individuals, and show that you care about them and their lives.

What do they know?

You need to plug into your employees’ knowledge. Each of your employees brings with them a specific set of skills and a unique collection of experiences. What do they know? When you know what your employees bring to the table, you know how they can best benefit the organization and, you also know how you can best benefit them.

What do they want?

You need to plug into what your employees want. What are their goals? What are they passionate about? When you know what they want, not only can you earn their trust and loyalty by helping them achieve their goals, you are in a better position to motivate and inspire them. When you help your employees achieve the things they want, you give them meaning and the satisfaction of being part of something important.

What do they need?

You need to plug into the needs of your employees. Employees are more effective, more productive, and more dedicated when their needs are met in the workplace. Do they need additional training? Are they lacking necessary resources? What type of work environment do they need in order to give their best effort? When you meet the needs of your employees, their performance will rise to a whole new level.

Plug In

You can’t lead effectively if you go through your day operating on autopilot. Break the autopilot cycle by plugging in. Who are your employees? What do they know? What do they want? What do they need? These are the questions that you need to answer on a daily basis. When you know the answers, you can truly start leading.

Employee Engagement, Leadership

Employee Engagement: Ready to Call off the Wedding?

July 17, 2016 Liz Stincelli

Had a great conversation with my good friend, Beth Strathman on employee engagement. Listen here:

http://leadlikenobodysbusiness.com/2016/07/16/employee-engagement-ready-to-call-off-the-wedding/

Culture, Leadership, Work Environment

It’s a New Work Environment: How do You Get Results?

July 15, 2016 Liz Stincelli 2 Comments

“It used to be presumed that if you weren’t at your desk working, you weren’t working, but we said ‘Why can’t we make a workplace where casual meetings are as important as working at your desk?’ Sometimes that’s where your better creative work happens.” —David Chipperfield

The days of command and control leadership are gone. So are the days of slaving away in a factory for your entire life until retirement. The Millennial generation finds the old way of doing business stifling. Employees are becoming more agile and connected than ever; they want flexibility and autonomy. So, how do you get the results you need to be successful in this new work environment?

Be observant

As a leader, you must keep a finger on the pulse of your work environment. The best way to do this is actual, first person observation. Not observation from some corner office, but out on the floor, in the middle of operations observation. When you are out on the floor you get to know your employees, their wants, and their needs. When you really know what’s going on, you can make the needed adjustments to keep things running smoothly.

Share information

Gone are the days of employees being satisfied with only being provided the information that management deems pertinent to their particular tasks. This generation has grown up being bombarded with information; they want access to all to the data and then to be allowed to sort through it on their own. Start sharing the ‘big picture’ information. Where is the company going? How is it going to get there? What is the market like? What kind of changes can they expect to see? The more informed your employees are the better contribution they can make.

Ask questions

There is no better way to learn what is working, what is not, what people want, what people need, and what people know than by asking. You may actually be surprised at the new knowledge you may gain and the new opportunities that might be brought to your attention if only you were to ask the right questions. I’m not talking about closed door meetings with trusted advisors. Again, I’m talking about out on the floor, employees at every level questioning.

Follow up

If you ask the question and you get an answer, you better make sure you follow up. Lack of follow up sends the message that you have no respect for the needs, wants, or input of your employees. More than ever, it’s important that your employees know they are being heard. When you not only ask the questions, but truly listen to the answers and then follow up, employees will learn to trust you. And, they only really follow those they trust.

Be flexible

A rigid work environment is no longer appealing. Why do you care? Because unless you provide an appealing work environment you will lose your best talent and be unable to attract the caliber of talent needed to compete with organizations where flexibility is embraced. This doesn’t mean you need to allow employees to run helter-skelter; it just means that you allow them to make adjustments so that their work and personal lives can become more integrated.

It’s a New Environment

It’s a new work environment. What worked in the past will not attract and keep good employees in the future. The way you lead is going to have to change. Become observant. Start sharing information. Ask questions. Make sure you follow up. And, learn to be flexible.

This new workforce has a lot to offer. Make sure that you provide the right environment so they are offering it to you and not your competition.

Leadership, Teaching

Leading is about Teaching not Just Telling

July 8, 2016 Liz Stincelli 4 Comments

“Anything that is worth teaching can be presented in many different ways. These multiple ways can make use of our multiple intelligences.” —Howard Gardner

Great leadership takes investing in your employees. They want a mentor, someone to help them become the best they can be. They want to learn and grow. And, as a leader, you are in the perfect position to serve as a teacher. One small catch, teaching is about more than just telling. So, how can you become a great teacher?

Set the example

Teaching all starts out with the example you set. We all know the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, “What you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.” This is true in both your personal and your professional life. Employees are watching you to determine if you are authentic. Can they trust you? And, are you really someone they can look up to and learn from? Make sure your words match your actions; set the example of successful behaviors for employees to follow.

Hands on

Most people learn better when they get hands-on experience. Make sure employees get the chance to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. Once they get some real hands-on experience, talk to them about what they’ve learned, what input they have, and what they would like more experience doing. Once employees get real experience, you may learn more from them than they learn from you.

Embrace failure

Embed learning from failure into the very fabric of your organization. Encourage employees to explore, experiment, get creative, fail, and then build on that failure to create something even better. Failure can be reprimanded, or used as a stepping stone to success. As a leader, you get to determine if employees get the opportunity to embrace and learn from failure.

Continual opportunity

Employees want opportunities. Not one time opportunities, but continual opportunities. They want to try new things, learn how other departments work, and get an understanding of operations from a ‘big picture’ view. The more opportunities you open up for employees, the more they learn, the greater their value to you as a leader and to the organization as a whole.

Go Beyond Telling

Everyone learns differently. You can lecture and explain all you want; the fact is teaching is about more than just telling. Set the example for employees to follow. Give employees hands on experience and then ask them for feedback on their experience. Encourage them to embrace and learn from failure rather than fear it. And, offer them continual opportunity to stretch, learn, and grow.

Stincelli Advisors

Monthly Archives: July 2016