Category: Listening Seeds

What does it mean to practice listening greatness? There are three main factors: First and foremost, great listeners choose to improve their listening attitudes and refine specific listening skills. They consistently and systematically focus on the multiple intents, thoughts, desires, and concerns of others. They project energy in the commitment to listen fully to others.…

Listening Leaders confront conflicts by consciously cultivating courage. In environments of unending conflict, effective listeners meet the harshness of words and actions of others with courageous acts and actions of listening. Although most leaders remember the old adage: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” most listeners also recognize…

J.W. Marriott, Jr. is Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Marriott International, Inc., the largest lodging company in the world.  In this excerpt,  he captures the essence of listening.  When was the last time you sat down with another human being and listened — truly listened — to what he or she had…

When you want to hear from others (and you should because it adds to the pool of meaning), the best way to get at the truth is by making it safe for them to express the stories that are moving them to silence or violence. This means that at the very moment when most people…

Impressive listening skills have been identified as one common characteristic of credible leaders. A willingness to listen carefully to constituents and, if necessary, to hear the bad news keeps leaders from being isolated from critical feedback. When they can get information from a variety of sources, across functions and levels, they are able to know…

A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: “AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: “AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” Curious, he yells: “Who are you?” He receives the answer: “Who are you?” Angered at the response, he screams: “Coward!” He receives the…