You really don’t have to agree with everyone, nor act on everyone’s opinion. While you are listening to your co-worker, stop thinking about how you want to respond. Suppress the tendency to correct, raise objections or defend your own views. Leave out the word ‘but’ as much as possible. Listen. Let a short silence fall. Give a brief response so the other person knows you are listening, preferably one that prompts you to ask a follow-up question rather than retort or proceed to orate. ‘Let me think about what you just told me’, for example, or ‘Did I understand correctly that…’. By being curious and not immediately dismissing the other person’s point of view, you encourage different opinions and a broader view of the current topic emerges. As a leader, be the last person to give your perspective during team meetings.
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