Active Listening: Improve Your Ability to Listen and Lead, First Edition

Barriers to Active Listening

Most people would see some of the skills and behaviors associated with active listening as basic courtesy (not interrupting, for example). But other active listening skills (such as asking clarifying questions) are less familiar and therefore may require teaching and practice. Leaders who seek to improve their ability to actively listen may face a number of barriers.

THE IMAGE OF LEADERSHIP

The role of listening can seem to contradict common cultural notions of what a leader is. In a society that values leaders who are action-oriented, charismatic, visionary, and directive, the expectation is that leaders should have the answers, call the shots, and do all the talking. Our emphasis on the performance of leaders cuts ...