Listen up – 4 Types of People!

Being a leader doesn’t automatically make you a great listener. It doesn’t make you great at reading people. But listening skills are critical to successful leadership, as communicated by Peter Drucker, author of The Effective Executive.

If you need insight into your team members, hang out at your closest coffee machine. Inevitably, you’ll catch a glimpse of at least one of these characters.

Straight-shootin’ Stan: He’s in and out of the break room before you can say ‘time management’ and has no time for coffee additives. His eyes straight forward, he never wavers from his target nor is sidelined by the friendly and well-meaning opposition.
Harried Harry: He’s in a hurry, he’s distracted, and he needs the java to refocus. He doesn’t have a standard coffee. He’ll try the new creamer on the counter just because it feels like an adventure.
Precise Priscilla: She’s methodical, steady, and routine. She counts her sugars, measures her cream, and fills coffee in her cup to the same invisible line on the inside of her mug each and every time.
Supportive Sarah: She’s steady and supportive, more concerned with your coffee experience than her own.

See, you can’t be a good leader without careful listening. You can hear the words of your team members, but if you’re not watching their body language too, you could be missing an important piece of the puzzle.

So that you gauge your team and its perspective accurately, try these tips.

1. Use eye contact. When you communicate interest, you will increase your chances of receiving honest and direct feedback.

2. Question your team member respectfully. Don’t require them to defend their opinion; expect them to explain it.

3. Study your team member’s body language and habits. They explain an employee’s perspective and work ethic as much or more as his words do. When you carefully observe, you will be able to mesh what you’ve witnessed with what she shares. When you have a complete picture of an employee (what you’ve noticed and what they’ve expressed), you equip yourself to make decisions that are fully informed, thoughtful, and in the best interests of your company/team.

Walter Kissinger was once asked why he did not share the same distinctive accent as his very famous brother, Henry kissinger. His response? “Because I am the Kissinger who listens.”

Take the time to hear your employees. Study them. Scrutinize their body language and habits. Give yourself a frame of reference for making wise and informed decisions on behalf of your team. Invest the time it takes to practice these tips so that you may be “the leader who listens.”