Listening is a practice. Here’s how to develop your discipline.

Let’s be clear: listening may be the kind thing to do, but it’s also the effective thing to do. 

High-performing teams are built on alignment, accountability, and adaptability—and none of those are possible without the ability to deeply understand the people you lead and collaborate with. And you can’t understand people you’re not listening to. 

Most leaders think they’re good listeners. But the people they lead often say otherwise. 

Why the disconnect? 

Because we often listen with an agenda: 

To fix or solve quicklyTo validate our assumptionsTo reinforce our position

When we do this, we stop—or perhaps never start—truly listening. We engage with people as we assume they are, not as they actually are. And when that happens, people stop bringing their best thinking forward. Listening offers us so much more. It’s how we gain clarity. It’s how we uncover root issues before they explode. It’s how we accelerate execution by removing confusion and friction. And it’s how we solve complex problems once they’ve already taken root and the stakes are high. 

That was the experience of two executive teams facing the same mandate: cut $100 million from the business without damaging competitiveness. We explore the stories of a Fortune 500 division president and a European manufacturing leadership team in our podcast episode, “How to cut costs without killing your company.” In both rooms, the discipline of listening unlocked the creative ideas that enabled them to achieve their goal. 

The reason listening is such a strategic advantage is because it makes reality visible…quickly. When you’re facing a high-stakes challenge, time is not on your side. You don’t have time for wasted effort, confusion, misunderstandings, or false starts. Listening cuts through all of that, surfacing both the problematic elements and the opportunities quickly and clearly. 

Listening as a performance lever

When people feel seen and heard: 

They offer more (and better) ideas They flag issues earlier They align faster They take more ownership 

Listening is the fastest way to surface insights, reduce resistance, and foster commitment. And while it doesn’t mean you’ll agree with everything you hear, it does mean you’ll stay open enough to truly hear it. Often, it’s the uncomfortable feedback, the subtle hesitation, the divided opinion, or the offhand comment that carries the most valuable information. 

How to build listening into your leadership discipline

Listening is a practice. Here are a few ways to work on the discipline. 

Drop the script. Enter conversations ready to be surprised. If you think you already know what someone’s going to say, you’re not listening. 

Scan your stance. Are you seeing this person as someone with valid thoughts and experiences—or as an obstacle, a task, or a drain on your time? 

Stay with it longer. Don’t rush to fill silence or jump in to share your point. The more space you give, the more truth you get. 

Summarize and test. Try: “Here’s what I think I heard—did I get that right?” If not, good. You’re learning. 

Stay open. If you feel yourself getting defensive, resist the urge to offer advice or jump in with “Here’s what I’d do.” Instead, ask a question like, “What options are you considering?” Curiosity helps you learn what’s really going on. 

Listening drives the bottom line

The ROI of listening isn’t theoretical. For the two executive teams we mentioned earlier—the Fortune 500 company and the European manufacturer—listening was the lever that delivered their results. It enabled them to cut $100 million without layoffs, paved the way for the Fortune 500 company to double its business when many believed 5% growth was impossible, and helped the European manufacturer simplify and strengthen operations company-wide. 

Challenge for today: In your next conversation, slow down. Notice what you’re filtering out. Choose curiosity. If you want to build a culture that performs at a higher level, it starts with the discipline of listening. 

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