The Power of Listening: What Most Leaders Miss—and Can’t Afford To

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And why it matters to every person on the team.

The squeaky wheel gets oiled, right?

Why do we celebrate the ones who speak up, the ones with a point of view, a bold idea, a way with words? And yes, all of that has value, and we rarely pause to acknowledge the thing that holds most of it together:

Listening.

Not the kind that’s simply waiting for your turn to speak.

I’m referring to listening that slows the moment down. That holds space, invites clarity, and signals something simple and powerful—you matter.

This isn’t only a leadership skill. It’s a core piece of how teams communicate, how trust gets built, and how real conversations move things forward.

Listening Is a Skill—Not a Given

We like to think we’re good listeners, we have two ears and only one mouth after all. Most of us check the box—we make eye contact, nod at the right times, throw in the occasional “yeah, totally.” And real listening is more than that. It’s deliberate. It requires effort. And in fast-moving, high-output environments, it’s often the first thing to go.

Here’s what gets missed when we rush through or default to surface-level communication:

• We misread tone and jump to conclusions.

• We solve problems that haven’t actually been shared or are not even problems.

• We miss what someone’s trying to say because we’re focused on how we’ll respond.

Whether you’re managing a team or sitting around a table with peers, that kind of missed connection creates distance—and dysfunction.

Start Here: Five Listening Habits That Change Everything

If you want to build better communication inside your team (and show up with more clarity yourself), here’s where to start:

1. Stop multitasking when it matters

When someone’s talking and you’re half-checking your inbox, they can tell. Even if they don’t call it out, they feel it.

Try this: Close the laptop. Look away from the notifications. Offer your full attention, even for a few minutes. Presence is a powerful tool.

2. Wait before you respond

If you’re already forming your reply mid-sentence, you’re not really listening. You’re scanning.

Try this: Let the other person finish. Pause. Then reflect back what you heard: “So what I’m hearing is…” It gives them a chance to clarify, and it forces you to process before you jump in.

3. Leave room for silence

We tend to treat silence like a signal that something’s wrong. And it’s often where the real stuff lives.

Try this: When someone pauses, don’t fill the space. Let them sit with the thought. Sometimes the next thing they say is the most honest part.

4. Ask questions that go deeper

Listening isn’t about being quiet—it’s about being curious.

Try this: Go beyond “How are you?” Ask, “What’s feeling heavy right now?” or “What’s not being said here?” You’ll get to something more meaningful.

5. Don’t assume you know

We all do this—hear a keyword and make a snap judgment based on past experience or recency bias.

Try this: Instead of jumping in with a fix, ask: “What would be most helpful from me right now?” Sometimes they don’t need a solution. They need a witness.

Listening Is the Culture You Create (Whether You Mean To or Not)

If you’re in any kind of collaborative environment—especially one that moves quickly—how you listen becomes part of your culture.

When people feel heard, they speak up earlier. When they don’t, they start filtering themselves—or shutting down completely.

That dynamic doesn’t fix itself. It is shaped intentionally. Not simply with a set of values on a slide, it’s shaped through consistent, lived behavior. Conversation by conversation.

This Is Why We Created Our Digital Encore Program

At its core, Digital Encore isn’t about transferring knowledge. It’s about building the kind of connection that helps people grow—for real.

We’ve seen it over and over again: the most powerful moments in any of our coaching relationships aren’t big career breakthroughs or perfectly crafted advice (although this is rewarding too). They’re the quiet ones. A client who learns to listen without judgment. A participant who says something they’ve never said out loud before. A conversation that shifts how someone sees themselves—not because we told them what to do, because they finally felt seen.

That’s the kind of communication we teach.

Not performative, not transactional. Present, grounded, and human.

If That Resonates, Digital Encore Might Be for Your Team

If you believe that presence matters just as much as perspective—if you want your team to be part of an experience that prioritizes real connection over performance—Email us to learn more about Digital Encore.

This isn’t about having all the answers.

It’s about making space for better questions.