ListeningLevels

Among all the communications tools we have at our disposal, LISTENING is the most powerful.  Listening can occur on several levels.

For your consideration (and, yes, I'm just makin' this stuff up):

1. Distracted Listening - only hearing parts and pieces of what the other is saying (like when you have bad cell phone signal)
2. Rebuttal Listening - listening just well enough and long enough to fashion and deliver counterpoints
3. Cascade Listening - when we hear, then add to, hear again, then amend, hear some more, then extend (lots of "ands" and minimal "buts" - the work of getting stuff done)
4. Info Listening - done to build our knowledge base, because informed opinions really are of more value than just opinions
5. Connectional Listening - listening to deeply understand the other's perspective, contexts, positions, interests, motivations, aspirations... (what I often call "listening a hole in 'em")

Others subconsciously gauge our level of listening, and attribute to us a commensurate level of caring (probably with great accuracy).

The best leaders I know are superb listeners, which means they spend the preponderance of their listening time in levels 3, 4, and 5 above.

LEAD (I mean listen) ON!