Want to Be a Leader? Learn to Listen.

As Harvard Business Review‘s Sara Stibitz wrote earlier this week, we tend to evaluate leaders by what they think and how they turn it into action. But Stibitz makes sure to note that the best leaders aren’t just birthed into the world with infallible intuition. They know how to learn. Great leaders are not evaluated by what they do, but rather by the ways in which they pool information that inform their choices. A big part of this is being a good listener. Stibitz’ article serves as a how-to for honing your leaderly listening skills:

“First, you need the will… And to get over a need to talk or interject, adapt a mindset that will allow you to hear what’s being shared. If you believe you have all the answers, you simply have no reason to listen to others…”

Stibitz’ approach begins with a mode of introspection: what do I need to do to become a better listener? What’s keeping me back? She then offers a step-by-step approach to building good habits and killing bad ones. You have to prioritize your improvement, remove distractions, focus on body language, control your urges/reactions, and learn to validate/verify.

Check out the full piece linked below to learn more.