Listening Is a Top Leadership Skill

Doug Lawrence has written a blog titled 7 Questions for your worship point person... at Church Central (http://www.churchcentral.com/blog/7-Questions-for-your-worship-point-person...- ) While reading the post I realized that it is of paramount importance. Of all the leadership skills important to the Transformational Leader, listening is certainly on the top of that list! This is not passive, uninvolved listening. This is active listening.

Have you ever been in a conversation and realized that the person you are talking to is thinking about their response and is really not listening to you? Do not be guilty of this yourself. You don’t have to respond immediately once the other person stops talking. In fact, leaving a moment of silence lets the person talking know that you listened and are thinking about what was said. The moment of silence can be a validation that you have listened.

One of the important traits of Transformational Leadership is being authentic. If you are not aware of what others on your team are thinking, then how can you be an effective leader? Another Transformational Leadership trait is building leaders on teams. Building leadership skills is a key to delegation. If there are good communication standards, then there can be minimal conflict in the workplace due to misunderstanding or missing information.

A clear vision is followed by clear goals and a solid communication plan. Communication consists of two functions: 1) Delivery and 2) Reception. We must be aware of our words when speaking. There is power in the choice of words. The wrong choice of words will communicate a different message than intended, so choose the words for communicating very carefully. Along with the choice of words come the other factors in communication – the inflection in the voice, the physical stance and posture, and certainly the pace of the conversation. Do not be afraid of silence. Silence in a conversation can give clarity.
As an effective Transformational Leader be aware that there are important elements in every communication. Be active in listening. Be careful in your choice of words. Be present in the conversation – physically (look at the person), emotionally (focus on the intent of the conversation without emotional baggage), and mentally (give the other person your full attention without distraction).

Effective listening is a basic element effective leadership.