Focus on Listening

I pay attention to listening.

It is not my natural inclination to be a very good listener. I tend to be too extroverted, too confident that I have something to contribute. I am motivated to get the right answer, to be the first one with my hand in the air.

Some people tell me that what I do now is practice being an introvert. I am on the path of learning how not to cross-examine people, getting them to say what I would like to hear in response to my questions.

Listening, being open, has lessons for me on many levels. I am learning to listen to other people, to myself, to the deep truths that are all around us. Sometimes I listen to the silence. Listening is one of the key elements of how I understand leadership.

Listening is not something we really study. We do not learn how to listen by reading about it. We learn how to listen by practicing.

Listening well is challenging, hard work.  Some of the challenges come from ourselves, like being an extrovert or wanting to be the first to answer. Some of the challenges come from the distractions and entertainments that fill the world around us. Some of the challenges come from us not listening well to ourselves.

Listening demands that I focus my attention. I try to listen from a place of calm reflection. I need to clear out the space that listening requires, to find the well of silence that will allow me to listen deeply.

I am becoming a better listener. As we focus on listening and practice, we open ourselves to the lessons of listening.

When is the last time you really listened to someone?

How do you focus on listening?

[Image by cliff1066™]