› Briefly summarize the message or information you have just heard. This can be a difficult practice to develop, but it is the most effective way to demonstrate that


you have truly heard and understood the individual. Even though active listening seems like a very basic skill, it has a substantial


impact on leader effectiveness. Active listening allows you to gain insight into your managers and colleagues and helps you build trust, improve employee engagement, and avoid misunderstandings. An example of active listening in the workplace is described in the following Stories From the Field box.


STORIES FROM THE FIELD: Active Listening in the Workplace


A university nutrition department chairperson was preparing to meet with an upset faculty member regarding an issue of workload equity. Before the meeting, the chairperson reviewed faculty work- load assignments, forwarded their office phone calls, and put their cell phone on silent to ensure they would not be interrupted.


When the faculty member arrived, they immediately began sharing how frustrated they were that they taught more classes than their colleague and did much more work, even though they had less administrative time allocated. Even though the department chair had already researched the situa- tion and thought the workloads were equitable, they let the faculty member air their grievance and then asked clarifying questions such as, “Can you tell me more about your current research obliga- tions and any future research and grants that you have planned? You had three new course preps this year; how much time did you commit to that task? How do you handle a situation when a student comes to you rather than the other faculty member with issues related to the other faculty member or their class? What are your current service obligations at the university and with your profes- sion?” The chairperson also made eye contact and nodded to indicate they were listening attentively and seeking to understand the source or sources of the faculty member’s frustration. For example, was this truly a workload issue, or was it an issue of salary, lack of recognition, dissatisfaction with courses they were teaching, or something else?


Once the faculty member had finished sharing their issue, the chair summarized the issue to ensure they had heard the faculty member accurately. Then and only then, the chair shared their reasoning for the allocation of teaching and administrative responsibilities as well as factors that went into that allocation that the faculty member had not considered—for example, time that the other faculty member was spending administering a current grant and the additional grants and publications that the faculty member was preparing. In addition, the other faculty member was teaching several lab courses, so while the number of credits was lower, the time spent in the classroom actually exceeded the first faculty member’s course load. By actively listening to the faculty member, the chairperson identified that a source of the faculty member’s dissatisfaction was the number of new course preps they had done in the past year with little support in the classes from a teaching assistant. The fac- ulty member was discouraged that much of the time dedicated to research was spent resubmitting publications, making the faculty member feel like no progress was being made on research. It also seemed unfair to the first faculty member that the other faculty member got administrative re- assigned time when they did not seem to enjoy working with and spending time with students.


By increasing teaching assistant support, the chairperson was able to ensure the faculty member felt valued and heard and was satisfied with the chairperson’s response.


Speaking With Clarity “To be clear, stop and think, and then proceed slowly.” —Brian Tracy16


Speaking with clarity is not just for public speaking. It is an essential skill if you will be directing the work of others, delegating, or leading in any way. When speaking with clarity, it is important to consider your audience. Unless you are speaking to a


CHAPTER 1: Leadership Fundamentals 5


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