Listening As A Leader

Businesses can succeed or fail based on a huge, varied range of things. Everything from marketing to compliance to simple supply and demand could have a major impact on a company. But here at Technalink, we’ve also noticed that for many businesses, the leadership that is in place often has a tremendous influence on the business’ bottom line.

That should be common sense, but it’s often overlooked by leaders who are so caught up in various factors that they forget how important it is to align their interests, goals, and leadership styles with the business as a whole. A perfect example is with how you listen to your team.

If you’re not listening the way a leader should, you’re hampering your company’s success chances in a big way. Being a good listener translates to better morale, a better understanding of how things work and how you can improve them, the ability to spot problems, and more. But there are some tips that are worth remembering that can help you get more from your efforts at being a better listener. Here are some of the most important ones we’ve found.

• Start by making sure that you’re not discouraging employees from speaking their mind. In particular, it’s important not to retaliate against an employee for telling you something you don’t want to hear. This is key for maintaining an open line of communication and ensuring that your team is able to talk to you about any issues they have.
• If you feel that you’re not capable of getting the most honest answers from employees, consider an anonymous suggestion or comment box system that lets them talk to you with anonymity. You can even do what most major corporations do – an annual employee opinion survey that allows them to identify the major issues most employees are concerned about.
• Another thing that’s even more important is to actually follow through on the information you hear. Too often, leaders just nod their heads and act as though they’re listening to their employees. But if you really hear what they have to say and make changes based on their input, you’ll show them that their opinions really do matter and that your company values them.

Building employee morale, helping your team feel like they’re part of something important, and moving your company forwards into the future all starts with one simple thing – solid communication based on listening to your employees. It’s a simple process that can yield some big results.