Are you listening with the intent to understand — or the intent to interrupt? That’s the topic of my latest video blog: “Don’t Pardon the Interruption.”

Of course, listening is one of the most vital skills to possess when in charge of a team. It is why listening is one of our Big Six Leadership Principles®.

In this Two-Minute Leadership Video, I discuss the importance of listening — and not interrupting. I talk about how to begin the process of incentivizing active, engaged listening, and how to have a bit of fun with it, too.

Remember, it is all about listening with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply. You can watch the video here:

By pausing before you reply, you give yourself time to process what you’ve heard, and ensure that you are responding to what was actually said, in a way that can be relevant and helpful.

By incentivizing your team to listen carefully before replying, you can build a model of what “right” behavior is when it comes to listening.

(Now, with our current era of ‘social distancing,’ it might be more difficult than in the past to provide incentives to promote better listening. But at the same time, the universality of our isolation can act in its own way to be an incentive — many of us now have a strong desire to connect with one another. So, let’s connect with each other, but be sure to really listen to what our team members have to say.)

Leadership needs to be seen at the top levels of the organization before you can expect the rest of your teams to follow. If you are a good listener, it is more likely your team will become good listeners.

I’ve discussed additional details on how to become better at listening with the intent to understand, by becoming more focused, in one of my previous video blogs: “Focused Listening.”

You can also see other past entries in my ongoing series of Two-Minute Leadership video blogs.

And, if you’d like to go beyond just listening, and dive even further into building a work culture of overall excellence, you can check out my book “We’re All In.” — get the first chapter for free here.

Enjoy the journey!

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