The Manager Superpower: Listening
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As a manager, it can often feel like you are expected to be constantly talking to your employees, telling them what to do, or offering them words of encouragement. In this case there may not be room to truly allow your employees to talk and share their own experiences. In order to be a successful manager, one must learn how to listen to employees and give them space to speak freely.
Why Should Managers Listen to Their Employees?
Employees are critical assets of any workplace or organization. They use their skills to reach company goals and contribute to the functioning of the company. Therefore, they have important insights to share with those in leadership positions within the company. They can provide key information regarding the following:
How company structure affects their work
New ideas within their field
Feedback on the day-to-day efficiency of the team
Insights on the morale of the team
Without asking your employees, you may never know the answers to some of these questions. As a manager, assumptions can be made about what is happening within the team and you can formulate ideas for the group’s focus, but the employees are essential in carrying out the tasks and thriving within the work environment.
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How to Approach a Conversation With An Employee
If you are looking to speak to an employee about the day-to-day function of the team and their position, it is important to make sure you are allowing room for the employee to speak freely. Consider using the following to initiate conversation:
“I was looking to learn more about your opinions on the team’s morale recently. Could you tell me more about how the team is feeling?”
“I wanted to talk to you a bit about some ideas for the marketing structure for the team’s project. Could you tell me more about some plans you think could be beneficial to pursue?”
The important phrase within these approaches, tell me about, is essential to leaving room for the employee to state their insights freely. Using this phrase in a question allows the employee the opportunity to say no if they do not wish to provide their insight or the option to think about it and get back to you. Especially when first instigating a conversation about work, make sure to use a question to make the employee feel comfortable.
How Can a Manager Immediately Become a Better Listener?
Taking steps to become a stronger listener can be difficult. Managers feel the pressure to be in control of their employees and lead them through their words. However, consider these easy ways to show stronger listening skills.
Speak less
Maintain eye contact
Use paper during meetings and conversations to take notes
Using paper, specifically, is a very easy change to make. Devices can be distracting to have out during meetings and can make employees feel they are not being heard by their manager. With paper, employees can directly see you are not off task and allows you the opportunity to make direct eye contact more frequently with the employees.
What Are The Benefits of Listening to Employees More?
When employees feel heard, the following benefits are seen:
Increased trust in leadership
Higher retention rates
Increased workplace productivity
All these benefits display how critical it is for employees to feel heard at work. Employees who feel they are not considered important will be more likely to leave and find new places to work. In addition, trust is necessary to reach team goals, so fostering an environment that encourages employees that their opinions matter is critical.
Conclusion
As a manager, it is important to take steps to make sure employees feel listened to and appreciated within your organization. Taking the time to consider the employee's opinions can lead to new ideas for the team, insights into the morale, and important feedback on the business structure. In addition, employees will feel increased trust in your leadership, which will increase retention and productivity within the team.
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