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I recently had occasion to speak with a young woman about her early success in management. It had surprised her, as she didn’t feel she was the kind of person who would be very good at it. She’s more on the quiet side, not naturally too authoritative. When I asked her why she thought she’d been effective (she’s highly regarded by her own management and has had numerous direct reports far older than she is), she was at first at a loss to explain it. But when pressed, she did offer one piece of positive self-assessment:
“I think I’m a good listener.”
Low-key virtues
It didn’t surprise me that this simple attribute has served this youthful manager well. In my studies of Type B management, I quickly came to realize that good managers come in all shapes and sizes. One doesn’t have to conform to the old stereotype of high-intensity Type A authority to get the job done. Often a quieter, more low-key approach works just fine. And solid listening skills comprise an important piece of this puzzle.
Fact is, a lot of folks in managerial roles spend too much time barking, I mean talking, and too little time listening. Because thoughtful management listening can confer valuable benefits. Here are a couple of them:
Productivity insights. Simply put, it’s a good thing to get operational insights from the shop floor. When it comes to work flow and process, there are benefits of listening closely to front-line employees. After all, they’re the ones who are closest to the actual work. They often have insights into better and faster ways of doing things, insights that may not be readily visible from even one or two levels above. In my years in management I quickly learned that the people who reported to me generally understood the nuts and bolts of their job better than I did. Which is as it should be. If there was an on-the-ground productivity gain to be made, they were more likely to spot it than I was. My job (or at least one of my jobs) was to listen closely and recognize a good idea when I heard one.
Positive engagement. Another substantive gain from good managerial listening is the engagement benefit derived from employees realizing their thoughts and concerns are genuinely being heard. While this point may seem minor, in a macro-environment where approximately only 30% of employees are highly engaged, or emotionally committed to their organizations, management actions that help build positive engagement are nothing to be sneezed at. Employees want to be listened to and taken seriously. Why wouldn’t they?
This is something that good managers, like the young woman described at the outset, intuitively understand. It always serves them well.
This article first appeared at Forbes.com.