Imagine you're at the doctor's office for a routine examination.
At some point during the exam, the doctor pulls out the stethoscope
and asks you to take a few deep breaths. She moves the stethoscope
around to various pulse points of your body, listening for your
heartbeat.
Now imagine your doctor strikes up a conversation while this is
happening, seemingly ignoring her duty to record your heartbeat in
order to share a funny story from the weekend.
You'd be furious, and with good reason. This doctor effectively
has your life in her hands, and yet she is choosing not to listen,
not to look for signs of trouble.
Now imagine that the doctor is you in your office environment.
Would you listen intently to your employees' business pulse on the
other end of that stethoscope, or would you talk over it?
Be honest. The answer might not be what you'd like to hear, but
it's important.
Recently we spoke about ways to
use storytelling to create community and increase employee
engagement. Sharing the mission and values of an organization
through a relatable and memorable story empowers employees to go
forth and spread the message. As a leader, it's important to be
open and forthcoming with these stories as often as possible.
However, it's equally important to listen to the stories being
told to you.
Your employees are the pulse of your business. Any new ideas or
current concerns that they bring to your attention should be
considered as carefully as a doctor should consider our heartbeats.
They could mean the difference between success and failure. Life
and death.
And so, as a leader, you must not talk over anyone who speaks
up. Let their voices be heard.
Here are a few simple strategies for being a better
listener:
- Listen to the whole story. Don't interrupt in
the middle just because you think you know the ending. Even if it's
a problem or concern you already have the answer to, show that you
care enough to hear your employees out.
- Ask for suggestions. What does the person
coming to you with his story see as the solution? How does he
envision an ideal outcome to a given concern? Make sure to ask a
lot of follow-up questions to be sure you understand all of the
details.
- Take some time to think. It's not necessary to
have all the answers right away or solve the problem immediately.
If it's a serious enough concern that an employee brought it to
your attention, then give it the time it deserves and weigh out all
the options.
- Give credit and encouragement. Once the new
idea has been explored or the problem has been solved, give credit
to those who thought quickly on their feet and put in the effort to
make your business successful. Encourage them to continue coming
forward.
You don't have to take our advice. But the next time an employee
is sharing a story, you may want to imagine yourself on that exam
table and ask, "What would I want the doctor to do?"
Do you consider yourself or the leaders in your company
good listeners?