The deep listening every leader needs to master
Great leaders understand that leadership isn’t simply about giving orders, it’s about creating the conditions that will get the best out of people and harness their collective experience, insights and creativity.
One fundamental way to do that is by developing your listening superpower to truly connect with people, understand their needs, and guide them toward a common purpose.
However, of all leadership capacities, listening is probably the most underrated. Everyone talks about vision and about this, and strategy that, but listening is really the source of all great leadership.
Whenever I see leadership failures – see our article about the failures at VW for a very public example – very often at the root of them is a failure to listen. This results in a disconnection between the leader and the situation on the ground.
When we connect through listening, we can deal more effectively with reality, we deepen our personal and professional relationships, and we can find ways through situations that might otherwise feel stuck.
Most of us think we’re good listeners, but the reality might be somewhat different. It’s hard, our heads are busy places! Even if we’re great at it, when we’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed, our ability to listen well often suffers.
Is listening your superpower?
To enable leaders to develop their listening super-power we use a 4-stage model to help them to connect and build relationships with their team on a much deeper level, and build enduring trust and loyalty at the same time.
Take a look at the following levels and assess which one you typically operate from when you’re at your best…and on your off days! What do you need to do more or less of to level up?
Selective listening
If a leader is selectively listening, they’re not really listening at all. Instead, they’re filtering everything they hear through their existing beliefs, assumptions, and biases. They listen to confirm what they already know or believe, disregarding anything that doesn’t fit into their worldview. To quote Simon and Garfunkel: “a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.”
This type of listening can be incredibly limiting and even dangerous for a leader. It prevents growth, stifles innovation, and creates an echo chamber where only familiar ideas are reinforced.
Imagine a leader who consistently does this during meetings. Team members bring up concerns or new ideas, but the leader only acknowledges the ones that align with their existing strategy or thinking. This not only discourages open communication but also signals to the team that their input isn’t truly valued. Leaders who operate at this level of listening miss out on valuable insights and opportunities for growth.
2. Factual listening
This is where the leader starts to pay attention to the facts and data presented to them. They listen to the words being spoken, understand the literal meaning, and can repeat what has been said. While this level is a step up from selective listening, it still falls short of truly effective listening.
Factual listening is critical in many situations—when reviewing performance metrics, understanding project details, or discussing concrete plans. However, it’s not enough when dealing with people. When leaders only listen at this level, they hear the words but miss the underlying emotions, intentions, and motivations. They may know what their team members are saying, but they don’t understand why they’re saying it. As a result, their responses may address the surface issue but fail to resolve the deeper concerns.
3. Empathic listening
Empathic listening takes us into a deeper, more human level of connection. At this level, leaders don’t just listen to the words; they tune into the emotions and experiences behind those words. They seek to understand not just what is being said, but how it feels to the person saying it. This level of listening requires genuine curiosity and a willingness to put oneself in another’s shoes.
When leaders practise empathic listening they create an environment of trust and safety. Team members feel seen, heard, and valued, which fosters open communication and collaboration. Empathic listening can reveal the hidden concerns, fears, and aspirations of the team, providing insights that are critical for effective leadership.
A leader who listens empathically might hear a team member say that a project will be delayed because they’ve fallen behind with their workload. Instead of focusing solely on the timeline, the leader might recognise the underlying stress and offer support or resources to help manage the workload.
4. Transformative listening
The deepest level of listening is transformative listening. This is where leaders listen not just to understand, but to co-create. Transformative listening is about being fully present, open to new possibilities, and willing to be changed by what you hear. It’s a dynamic process where both parties are engaged in a dance of discovery, exploring new ideas, insights, and opportunities together.
At this level, leaders don’t just respond to what is being said; they actively participate in shaping the conversation, creating a space where new ideas can emerge. Transformative listening is about being willing to let go of your own agenda and being open to the unexpected. It’s about asking, “What else could be possible?” and exploring that with your team.
A leader practising transformative listening might enter a strategic planning session without a fixed outcome in mind. Instead, they would guide the conversation in a way that encourages creativity and innovation, allowing the team to co-create a vision and strategy that everyone feels ownership of. This level of listening fosters a deep sense of commitment and engagement because team members see themselves as active participants in shaping the future.
Why deep listening matters
Developing how we listen is not just a nice-to-have skill—it’s essential for effective leadership. To truly lead and inspire, leaders must move beyond selective and factual listening and develop their skills in empathic and transformative listening.
Empathic and transformative listening allow leaders to build deeper connections with their teams, develop trust, and create an environment where innovation and collaboration thrive. The deeper levels of listening enable leaders to tap into the collective wisdom of their team, uncovering insights and ideas that would never emerge if everyone was stuck in their own heads.
How to develop your listening skills
To develop your listening and leadership skills, join us at our free Culture Clinic. One leader will bring a cultural challenge they are facing in their organisation and the rest of the group will use transformative listening to offer support, insight and a fresh perspective on their situation. Previous participants have called the sessions “a gift for leaders” and “a powerful way to put things into perspective.”
Find out more and sign up here.
