SCRIPTURE: Listen to advice and accept instruction, so that you may gain wisdom in the future. (Proverbs 19:20.)
QUOTE: “To say that a person feels listened to means a lot more than just their ideas get heard. It’s a sign of respect. It makes people feel valued.”—Deborah Tannen.
NOTE:
It takes individuals with a different range of expertise to take on a project successfully. In a construction project, for example, certain folks are responsible for carrying out soil tests while others, for instance, the project manager is responsible for ensuring the goals, scope, and deliverables are followed to the letter, and the architect who’s responsible for getting the plan ready and communication same vividly to
everyone, etc…, every input is necessary. The project will either delay or fail if any of these individuals is side-lined from the flow. In the same way, your team will either experience consistent delay or repeated failures if certain members are side-lined. You must listen to their ideas and genuinely seek them out. One skill you must develop is to listen even when what is being said is complete rubbish. We all tend to give our best to teams and organizations that value our inputs to the point of implementing them sometimes. Create this environment and see the magic it brings to your team.
ILLUSTRATION:
Personally, I believe Abraham knew God was a loving leader worth following after he negotiated with Him for Sodom and Gomorrah and saw He was willing to give up his initial plan just because he asked Him to. If you find 50 righteous people will you destroy the land Genesis 18:25? I can imagine how honored he must have felt after God left him. It will sound like “you mean God was willing to spare a whole city because I asked him if He could find righteous people in it, wow! What a God?” Just because God listened to him built his faith deeper. You can’t fully fathom what listening can do for your team.
REFLECTION:
- Are you a listening leader?
- What are the practical steps you are taking now to improve your listening skill?
TWO YEAR BIBLE READING: Job 11, Psalm 107