As a leader, people expect you to have the answers. You start the meetings, you lead the discussion, you give the assignments, and you end up doing most of the talking, which is a problem, because the one who talks the most learns the least. We’re talking about asking better questions, and if you wanna ask better questions, first, you have to be a better listener.
So, today, we’re gonna dive deeper into how to listen beyond the obvious and uncover the insights most leaders miss. (bright music) Better questions lead to better thinking, better thinking leads to better leadership, and better leadership leads to better impact. So, let’s talk about how do we get better answers from the questions that we’re asking? To get better answers, ask better questions.
Now, this is relatively obvious, and this is the easiest part, just to ask the questions, but I wanna tell you about the harder part, and this is super important. Your goal isn’t just asking great questions, but your goal, are you ready for this? ‘Cause I made up a phrase, your goal is to practice what I call full-contact, immersive listening, full-contact, immersive listening.
What is that? I’ll define it this way. It’s next level engagement where you don’t just hear, you absorb and you connect mentally, emotionally, and physically. You’re not just listening to what’s being said, but you are fully immersed in the conversation, listening at the deepest level, connecting with your speaker to hear what’s being said, not being said, and you’re literally feeling the vibe of the conversation.
And I like the phrase full-contact because I like sports and you’re not observing, but you’re in the game. You’re fully present, you’re actively involved listening in the moment. And what are you listening for? This is important. I’m gonna say a bunch. You’re listening for tone, you’re listening for pauses, you’re observing body language, you’re listing for unspoken emotions.
You’re noticing what’s being said, you’re noticing what’s being implied, you’re even noticing what’s being avoided. And you don’t hear just facts, but you sense the heart behind the words that they’re saying. And you’re asking direct questions. You’re asking clear questions, you’re asking lots of follow-up questions, and then you’re reflecting back.
