Listen

Listen. Seek first to listen. Seek first to understand. Don’t be so anxious to jump in and share your thoughts and opinions because you think it’s going to make you look better with leadership.

Too many times we are so focused on how we are going to respond, wanting to make a point, and showing others that we are smart, competent, and committed. However, we don’t take the time to listen and understand. This is especially hard when you are passionate about a topic or subject. I did this today when talking about the SE team as I wanted to make sure I was representing their concerns correctly. Afterwards I asked myself, did I truly take the time to listen and understand or did I just respond?

Seeking first to listen and understand before responding is hard work and takes emotional intelligence such as self-awareness, empathy, introspection, and self-control. Part of this is my personality and who I am at my core. I’m an introvert, I’m not someone that speaks up right away. For those that are similar, this may come naturally. For those that are extroverted and are first to respond, this may be tougher.

Challenge yourself to truly listen, challenge yourself to truly understand. And be kind to yourself when you don’t always get it right, we are all human. #leadership #listen #eq #emotionalintelligence