What is the greatest skill that enables Psychological Safety for your teams?
Well, the answer is simple….LISTENING.
If you know me, you know how obsessed I am about questions and how important asking powerful questions are to open up dialogue, create connection and foster innovation. As a coach who’s predominant tool is powerful questioning, it is so important to be curious and ask questions. BUT if after asking these wonderful questions, you are not truly listening to understand, then it's all for nothing.
Asking and listening go hand-in-hand. Listening requires you to be 100% present and that requires you to take the thoughts in your mind in that moment and put them aside. Your knowledge and expertise don't go away, they just "rest" while you are engaged with the other.
When you are truly present, with "no" thing in your head spinning around judging, wondering what the other wants or trying to finish their sentence, true and deep connection happens.
One of the greatest needs of human beings is feeling heard, seen and understood. That means listening to lived experiences without judgment. Lived experiences of another are true for that person. Just like feelings of another are true for them. Whether we agree with them or not, we have no right to judge another's lived experience.
How do we stay 100% present? By practicing the skill of curiosity. I always called it a skill, but it is more of an art than a skill. When we master the art of curiosity, we have truly mastered the art of listening.
Next time you are in conversation, consider how you could take on one of these behaviours below by McLean and Company and see how your listening shifts. When we can truly listen from a place of curiosity and non-judgment, we give the greatest gift of all to another.
Want to enhance your listening skills? Get in contact with Michelle Bakjac via email at michelle@bakjacconsulting.com to enquire about coaching and training to develop your key skills to enhance listening and effective communication.
Michelle Bakjac is an experienced Psychologist, Organisational Consultant, Coach, Speaker and Facilitator. As Director of Bakjac Consulting, she is a credentialed Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a member of Mental Toughness Partners and an MTQ Plus accredited Mental Toughness practitioner. Michelle assists individuals, teams and organisations to develop and improve performance, leadership, behaviour, resilience and wellbeing. You can find her at www.bakjacconsulting.com
