The Power of Listening and Empathy

Successful leaders have strong empathy and active listening skills that allow them to be present during every interaction, shelve their egos, and receive feedback with grace. Leaders understand the feelings, desires, and motivations of others and use that in how they teach, learn, and lead. Empathy builds trust, while effective communication involves balanced listening and speaking. Active listening is a skill that highly successful people possess and can be learned. It involves interjecting deliberate pauses, using open-ended questions, assigning emotional labels, and avoiding passing judgment. Excellent listening skills and empathy are not just for face-to-face communication, but also work in digital interactions like email and video conferencing.