Practice Adaptive, Not Just Active Listening

How we listen will translate to how we act. The right way to think about how we listen to others is adaptively, not just actively. We don’t listen to everyone the same way. A person who needs motivation should be listened to differently because they are asking us to provide them some zest. A person who wants use to assess their approach and provide them some ideas should be listened to in a manner so we can accomplish that. Others just want to have a voice and be heard. It varies.

Sometimes we need to ask the person(s) what their expectations are or what they need so we put our EQ-Social Intelligence skills to work in the right manner. The situation must determine how we treat it and as a result communicate.

Practicing adaptve listening requires adjusting our communication lens. Done properly, it enables us to then communicate adaptively, personalizing how we interact. Personalization of communication syle has a far greater impact than treating everyone the same as a default-which our brain is pulling us to do.

Overide your brains pull and become known as someone who treats each person (or team) interaction based upon the situation. Download that mindset and make this another opportunity to behave intentionally as a leader.