A Leader that Grew Her Active Listening and Nonverbal Communication

My last couple of posts were on active listening and nonverbal communication, here’s a case example on why it’s critical for leaders.

A client came to me because she was getting feedback from her superior that her team found her difficult to connect with and felt discounted by her.

Here’s what she learned about herself. She discovered that she did not actively listen to her team when they met. Her mind wandered attempting to ‘solve’ things on her own. As her team members spoke offering ideas, she simply wasn’t paying attention. Her non-verbals were a giveaway. Arms crossed and little eye contact. She was disengaged, which the team clearly felt.

She had the mindset that she, and she alone, needed to come up with big ideas or solve problems.

Once the mindset was understood and changed, we worked on her active listening and communication including non-verbals. She practiced, among other things, maintaining eye contact, paraphrasing what she was hearing, asking curious questions, and managed her non-verbals by sitting forward, arms loose by her side.

The team noticed and responded well. She noticed how talented her team was and began having active team discussions. Bigger and better ideas, solutions, and decisions were the result. She felt much more effective as a leader and her team felt heard and supported. Truly a win-win.