#484 Why Great Leaders Listen: Building Trust and Innovation

Join Coach Curl in this episode of the Today's Leader podcast as we explore one of the most underrated yet powerful leadership tools: listening. Discover how active listening can build trust, inform better decisions, fuel engagement and innovation, and reduce conflict within your team. Learn practical tips on how to become a great listener and transform your leadership style.

leadership, listening skills, active listening, team building, decision making, conflict resolution, engagement, innovation,

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and share it with fellow leaders. Check out the link in our show notes for a takeaway sheet!

⏱️⏱️VIDEO CHAPTERS⏱️⏱️:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Leadership and Listening

00:00:56 - Building Trust Through Active Listening

00:01:41 - Enhancing Decision Making with Team Input

00:02:24 - Techniques for Effective Listening in Leadership

00:03:10 - Implementing Listening Strategies in Meetings

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Way to go, guys. Way to go. Keep it

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going. Good job, guys. All right, Paul, I

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see you. Great job, guys.

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Hey there, it's Coach Cole here and

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welcome to the Today's Leader podcast,

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Building Tomorrow's Best Leaders Today.

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Today we're tuning in.

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Literally and figuratively

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to one of the most underrated yet

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powerful leadership tools that we have,

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and it's called listening.

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We often associate leadership with

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decision making. We often associate it

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with communicating. We often associate

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it with us speaking, giving

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direction, inspiring others.

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Making decisions. But great leaders don't

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just speak well, they listen even

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better. So why does listening

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matter in leadership?Firstly, it

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builds trust and builds connections.

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When you truly listen, your team will

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feel heard, they'll be seen,

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and they'll feel valued.

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And when that happens, you're building

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trust, loyalty, and stronger

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relationships. #2 It

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informs better decisions. Leaders who

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listen will gather the different

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perspectives that exist in your

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team. It's even going to

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give you the potential to catch

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early warning signs, and both

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of those things together will help make

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you, um, make decisions better. They'll

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be well-rounded and they'll be have the

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insight of your team.

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#3 It fuels engagement and

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innovation. When people know that their

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voices matter, they're more

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likely to contribute ideas and

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solutions. Listening creates a culture of

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contribution, and #4 it

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reduces conflict. Active listening can

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de-escalate tension, uncover root

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causes of conflict, and

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leads to much better mutual

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understanding. So what does it look like?

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What does great listening look like?

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Firstly, we need to be present, so put

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down the phone, close the laptop, give

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your full attention. #2

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We listen to understand, not to respond.

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Let go of your agenda. Focus on the

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speaker's words, tone, and

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body language. #3 We

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want to ask clarifying questions, so show

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that you're engaged by asking thoughtful

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follow-up questions.

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And #4, we want to reflect and summarize,

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paraphrase what you've heard to

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confirm that you understand it

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clearly. And #5, we

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want to hold space or silence. Don't

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rush to fill the gaps. Some of the

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best insights will come when you give

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others a moment to think. So

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this week,

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during your next one-on-one. Or

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team meeting. Commit to listening

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80% of the time and speaking

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20%. Watch how

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your team responds. Now for

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more insights, of course, head over to

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all the resources we have available at

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the Today's Leader podcast website at

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todaysleader.com dot a

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U. We have worksheets, we've got

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resources. It's all available

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there. Until next time, keep leading with

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intention and don't stop

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building tomorrow's best leaders today.

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I'll see you next time.