Listening is a critical skill for anyone who needs to collaborate with others. This assessment helps people discover their natural approach to listening and gain insight into the listening approaches of others. Individuals develop an understanding of the situations in which their natural approach is a good fit and the situations it may not be. They will also learn how to adapt their listing approach to specific situations and people for optimal effectiveness.
Taking the listening assessment helped Steve understand the information he naturally listens for and the information he likely misses unless he makes an effort. He naturally listens for the main point and evaluates the credibility of the speaker and the message. While this is helpful when he solves problems, it doesn’t help him understand people. He doesn’t naturally listen in a way that builds rapport or helps him understand another person’s perspective. This negatively impacts his team because they perceive him as a leader focused on the business, but not interested in them as individuals. In addition, when negotiating, Steve listens intently to the content and evaluates what he hears, but misses the opportunity to understand what the other person needs from the negotiation as well as his or her emotional response to concessions. Steve’s natural approach to listening makes it difficult to build a high-performing team and to come up with mutually beneficial solutions. Once he understood the impact of his listening style, he made small adaptations that led to significant changes. Steve saw the energy and morale increase on his team immediately and found that listening to gain a clear understanding of others’ needs and perspectives led to greater success in many areas.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this assessment individually or to help your team communicate more effectively, contact us here or call 651-322-7821.