LEADERSHIP BEGINS WITH LISTENING

Too often, leadership is defined as giving orders. Many
entrepreneurs and professionals still used a model of
leadership that is best suited to the military or other
situations where life and safety are critical concerns, but
in business that is rarely the case.
More often in business, leadership is about listening to
people and helping them get what THEY want in the light of
a larger context.
Effective leadership is about working WITH your staff to
help them get what they truly want, whether it is
recognition, respect, job satisfaction or income, in the
context of the business' over-all goals for growth,
customer loyalty or increased sales.
Effective leadership is about listening!
The best salespeople listen to find out what the customer
wants, and then they find ways to provide it. The best
managers listen and understand the needs and desires of
their staff. The best entrepreneurs are experts as
listening to the marketplace for feedback about change, new
trends, and new services.
Remember the old saying that we were born with two ears and
one mouth. The obvious lesson is to listen twice as much as
we speak. I think it was Yogi Bera who once observed, "You
can learn an awful lot by listening." In business, that is
certainly true.