Listening is a core collaboration skill – important for team members but essential for leaders.
When leaders fail to listen properly, they miss important details, fail to benefit from new ideas, and most importantly, lose the opportunity to deepen trust with their conversation partner. When a leader doesn’t listen, a team may continue working on the wrong priorities resulting in rework or missed deadlines. When a leader doesn’t listen, they damage trust with their peers and other leaders, limiting their own influence and career growth.
Leaders don’t set out with an intention to avoid listening. But staying silent is not the same as listening.