Why Listening will Add Influence to Your Leadership

“We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less.” ~ Diogenes

In a busy restaurant kitchen, “heard” is pure efficiency. It is a one-word confirmation shouted back across the line, so the chef knows an order has landed, no time lost, no dish delayed.

Somewhere between the kitchen and the rest of our lives, that word picked up a new meaning. It has leaked into contemporary slang and everyday communication to signal feeling truly listened to, seen, and safe.

Communication research tells an uncomfortable truth: Most people retain only about 17 to 25 percent of what they actually hear. That gap between hearing and listening isn’t an audio problem. It’s an attention problem. Waiting for your turn to talk isn’t listening. Nodding while you plan your response isn’t either.

“Effective communication starts with listening.”  ~ Simon Sinek

Great leaders don’t just hear words. Great leaders do the real work of noticing the words chosen, working to understand why this conversation and why now? And reading what’s unspoken in someone’s tone or posture. It’s hard work.

Truly listening isn’t just a gesture. It could be a Superpower.

It takes discipline and determination.

Do you make others feel “heard”?

Keep listening.

~Jeff