Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said, “Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.” In other words, for the leader it doesn’t matter what his step-by-step vision might be if he has failed to develop the essential ingredients necessary to carry it out. Listening and learning are keys to developing a strong leadership track for your life. A leader who is closed-minded, unwilling to receive input from others or to increase in their knowledge, will likely find themselves isolated and unable to build important relationships necessary to excel in life and work.
Most men who rise to a leadership role aren’t prepared to lead. Whether a husband, a father, a CEO, a manager, a mentor—leading well requires planning. A leader must maximize two closely connected tools, which are his ears and his mind. The Bible tells us to “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future” (Proverbs 19:20). That connection—hearing and wisdom—is a key facet of leadership development. Before you lead, consider how you might listen and learn.
Learning to listen. The greater your role as a leader, the less likely you are to develop in the area of listening. If you lead ten men, then you may listen to get ahead. But if you lead 10,000, you may assume that by sheer level of authority you are the one that others need to listen to. Instead, the opposite is true. The greater the leader, the greater the need to listen. President Woodrow Wilson said, “The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.” Failing to listen isolates the leader, allowing his thoughts to grow in the echo chamber of his own mind, safe from the scrutiny he needs in order to be successful.
Long before, the Apostle James instructed, “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak…” (James 1:19). You can tell a fresh leader when they are the first to give their opinion in a meeting. When you are with others, you are either in prosect or repose. A person in prospect is out front, trying to make their opinion known, pushing their thoughts, ideas and solutions to others. A person in repose however is relaxed, reclined, eager to hear what others are saying.
A good listener must be people oriented, genuinely interested in others. He must be empathetic, equally concerned with the well-being of those around him. And he must be a person of repose, looking for distraction-free spaces where he can listen intently. A good listener focuses on one thing at a time—you won’t see him pull out his phone constantly, or interrupt others to insert his own thoughts. A good listener is present for people. Before you can lead, you must learn to listen.
Listening to learn. Consider in any forum with others than you already know what you are thinking about a subject. What you don’t know is what everyone else is thinking. Remember what Solomon wrote: “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame” (Proverbs 18:13). Not only must you be a good listener, but you must have clarity about why it is that you listen.
Great listeners tend to be great learners. A leader who believes their role is about position will set about their agenda at the expense of relationships. A leader who believes their role is about people, however, will focus on others as a means to learn and to grow. Listening well doesn’t mean a leader is entirely quiet. Instead he asks clarifying questions, probing others to go deeper. Then he repeats and summarizes what he has heard. A conversation becomes an opportunity for others to express themselves. The leader walks away with new information.
Preparation precedes performance. Any successful exercise in leadership begins with layout a foundation of learning and listening. Knowing and hearing reduce stress and anxiety associated with decisions. These also increase confidence and strengthen relationships. Author and professor Adam Grant said, “Good leaders build products. Great leaders build cultures. Good leaders deliver results. Great leaders develop people. Good leaders have vision. Great leaders have values. Good leaders are role models at work. Great leaders are role models in life.” True leadership is putting oneself in the position to grow people through vital relationships. This is why listening and learning are the most vital forms of preparation for a leader.
A good listener must be people oriented, genuinely interested in others. He must be empathetic, equally concerned with the well-being of those around him.