The past 30 days has been a whirlwind. I know that it isn’t just me. I know that many of you are going through stress or anxiety, and maybe an increase of demands are now on your plate. I understand and am certainly with you.
During these past 30 days of not practicing my writing about Leadership, I have spent time with quite a few different leaders, ranging from church community leaders, Athletic Directors, Sales gurus, CEO’s, and Principals. Here are just a few things I noticed as I took the opportunity to learn from these fantastic people.
The Notepad/Notebook- Having a notebook handy for meetings, lunches, cups of coffee, and time with friends is a powerful way to keep your thoughts, ideas, and questions close to the vest. Taking notes during those conversations will demonstrate your listening skills and maybe even help you tie two conversations to one mind blowing idea.
Don’t Over Do the Pen- I saw leaders sit and think about what was just given to their brain and let it travel to their hearts, before writing anything down. If it is powerful, sit with it. Then, once you processed what was just said, you will be able to use less words to describe its power and meaning to you.
Say it Again- It is crucial to allow the person you are in dialogue with to truly feel heard. Sometimes, for greater clarification, you may need to put a pause on the conversation so that you can better understand. Asking for clarification can allow them to offer a different way to explain or tweak their original words to better clarify the idea. A phrase I heard the leaders say often was, “ooh. that’s good. Will you please repeat that?” Asking for clarity can get you closer to your dialogue partner!
Shoot a Follow Up- When the conversation is concluded, set a reminder to shoot them an email, either minutes after, or for later that day. Show gratitude for the meeting, time, energy, their sharing, and for letting you listen. You can include a summary with bullet points or you can send a highlighted point that really stood out to you.
Doing this practice will help you get better and better at listening. Getting better and better at listening will help you get better and better at leading yourself, your teams, or your company.
LEADING FROM THE HEAD TO THE HEART