The greatest leaders lead by listening. Woodrow Wilson said, “The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.”

Leaders are not always the first ones to speak up, however they are the first ones to listen to what the people are saying. This equips them with the knowledge to then speak up and act accordingly. We are meant to believe that leaders magically know what to do without ever having to listen to the needs of the people, but great leadership is actually the complete opposite. Leaders know what to do BECAUSE they have listened to the needs of the people. It is only by mastering the art of observing that leaders are able to move progress forward. A leader that never listens is a leader that will never be listened to.

Here is a 3 step process that leaders follow when it comes to listening…

1. They Ask Questions

You will never understand what to do until you understand what people need. The only way you expose what people need is to ask them questions. It is through the questions you ask that you will discover people’s dreams, hurts, concerns, ideas, and motivations. Asking questions reveals the value you place on others. The more questions you ask others the greater the value you place on them. Involve your people by extracting their ideas. Ralph Nichols said, “The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”

2. They Study Others

Great leaders study people. They watch their responses and learn their motivations. You can’t study others while only being focused on yourself. When we speak we teach, but when we listen we learn. This means you must place the needs of others above your own. You must listen more than you talk. I have heard it said that God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason…to listen twice as much as we talk. Author M. Scott Peck said, “You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.”

3. They Place Others

Influence only works when you meet other people’s needs…never get that backwards. Leadership does not mean others meet your agenda, it means you help them meet theirs. You do this by placing others where they fit the best and how they operate the best. You will never know how to pull out potential in others until you know their vision. Spend time formulating a plan of action with people not for them. Telling someone what to do isn’t leading them. Leading people is about working together towards progress. People always support what they help create, so include them in the process. Stephen Covey said, “When you really listen to another person from their point of view, and reflect back to them that understanding, it’s like giving them emotional oxygen.”