The problem when you’re busy talking all the time and giving all the answers to people, is it’s not a discussion anymore. It’s not really even a dialogue. It becomes more of a presentation, it’s a one-way communication. Honestly, there’s a problem with that. You’re not hearing all the voices in the room, which is really important. As a result, you might be missing some key insights, and ideas, and perspectives that you need to take into account.

Gallup’s survey also shows us that actually 35% of managers are themselves not engaged in the work. If you have a manager who is not engaged in the work is it any wonder that a lot of organizations are still struggling to keep great people? Going through that hamster wheel of hiring people, on-boarding new people, then how do you keep that good talent.

It’s astonishing how often people are in the same conversation but hear completely different things. The potential for misunderstanding, feeling disrespected and disempowered is huge. Whether you’re leading a team of one (yourself), or a team of hundreds the quality of your listening hugely affects the quality and impact of your leadership.