Topgrading

The #1 flaw, shortcoming of most leaders is mediocre listening.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is that improved listening is the single most powerful improvement most leaders can make.  Why?  Because when leaders progress from mediocre to very good listeners, their team considers them much improved as leaders overall, and specifically as motivators, team players, coaches, developers of talent, and yes – better Topgraders!

The best news:  I’ve seen hundreds of leaders improve their listening skills.  This Topgrading Tips shows how.

Being regarded as a very good leader also helps you Topgrade, because during the hiring process A player candidates ask others on your team, “What’s (your) leadership style like?”  “What do people on the team like and dislike about working for (you).”  “How are decisions made?”  “Is (the boss – you) a good listener?”  No A player wants to work for anyone, even a super A player, who is a lousy listener.

Having surveyed over a million people and coached a couple thousand senior managers, my files are loaded with my interview notes from co-workers whose boss or peer is a mediocre listener.  Even super A players toss a lot of banana peels in their path when they are mediocre listeners:  Co-workers feel diminished (“He’s always interrupting before I can finish.”  “He does emails when I’m talking.”), unappreciated (“I have good ideas but she won’t listen.”) and stifled (“How am I supposed to grow with my ideas squashed?”).  At worst sharp members of the team quit and it’s hard to recruit A players.  At best performance and teamwork are lessened.

Of the 6,500 executive assessments I’ve done, the single most common weakness listed, even for A players, is listening.  Of all the executives I’ve coached, the single most common area I’ve offered suggestions to improve is … listening.

Let’s tweak that – most leaders need to improve at ACTIVE LISTENING.

Listening is just grasping what the other person said.  ACTIVE LISTENING is playing back to the person what you heard, engaging in a dialog to really understand not just the words but what the person really meant to say, and the feelings, emotions, and passion underlying what is said.

Listening:

Subordinate: “I need a vacation.”
Leader: “You need a break – so do I!”

With ACTIVE listening:

Subordinate: “I need a vacation.”
Leader: “A vacation – I know, you’ve been working 70+ hours per week for weeks.”
Subordinate: “I know you appreciate it.”
Leader: “I sure do!  Not only your dedication but your great ideas are saving the Acme account!  You seem to thrive on hard work – what’s up?”
Subordinate: “It’s not me so much as some family obligations; I need some time … off.”
A Player Leader: (sits down, with full attention) “I’m not going to pry, but when you say you need some time off, you got it.”
Subordinate: “I don’t mean to be secretive.  Jeannie (wife) just found out she has breast cancer, and these international trips we’re scheduling will leave her feeling abandoned just when …”

You get the point.  ACTIVE LISTENING involves what is sometimes called “listening with the third ear,” which means paying attention to more than the words.  It’s being sensitive to body language, inflections, pauses, and eye contact, so that your responses show some understanding of what is not being said, what the feelings are beyond the words.

This Topgrading Tips summarizes the “nuggets,” the most successful ways managers have improved their listening skills.

1.  Conduct an email 360 survey. If you suspect listening is a weakness and you want to be sure, here’s a simple survey technique:  Just have HR (so there is some anonymity) send a 5-item email survey to co-workers saying, “Pat Smith has asked HR to survey (5-15) co-workers asking how frequently they view him as …” The scale is Always, Frequently, Sometimes, Never.
Include at least 3 items you’re sure will get high ratings (A Results-Oriented “Doer,” Hard Working, A Topgrader, etc.) but include A Very Good Listener and maybe 1 other item you could improve at – Generous with Praise, A Positive Motivator, etc.

After each item leave space for Written Comments.

2.  Ask someone you trust to interpret the (negative) survey results. If your survey results are positive – terrific!  No need to read further (unless you want to pass this Topgrading Tips on to someone who needs to improve).

That trusted advisor will help you to see yourself realistically, just in case you might be tempted to be defensive or dismiss the results.

Re-take the survey every 6 months until you are Frequently viewed as a Very Good Listener.

3.  Pretend a camera is on you 24/7 and will record all your listening, good and bad. The image of the camera has helped hundreds of managers remind themselves to listen better.

4.  “Play back” to the person what you think you understood. “Pat, let me check if I understand — you want to personally make the Executive Committee presentation because you did the study, you can best field any questions, and after a year with the company you’d like some visibility, is that right?”  If Pat has a fourth reason, she’ll say it, but at a minimum she’ll know you were a good listener.

5.  Use the “10 Dime Technique.” Put 10 dimes in a pocket and every time you are really proud of yourself for using ACTIVE LISTENING, transfer a dime to another pocket.  When you end up with most dimes transferred … you’re improving!

SUMMARY: Active listening is the turbo-booster of leadership competencies.  It’s also a really, really important skill for Topgrading interviewing!

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: For the absolute latest innovations in Topgrading hiring, check out the all-new Topgrading Workbook.  It explains all 12 Topgrading hiring steps, and has fun, practical exercises to master each.  For more information, click here.