The CVs or LinkedIn profiles of most business leaders will usually show a list of hard skills that helped them rise to the top and make them good at their jobs – years in the industry, training, qualifications. But here’s one critical skill you probably won’t see there: trained in the art of listening.

Not being truly heard is a barrier to any relationship, and it’s also true for leaders and their employees in a work setting. As a business leader, hearing and understanding the small things could make a big difference to your employees, to their sense of worth and their wellbeing.

When a leader demonstrates a willingness to truly listen to their employees, it shows that they care about them and are trying to understand them as individuals. This act of caring in turn builds trust and unlocks opportunities for building great relationships with your teams.

It can also improve the work being done, because when communications practices are healthy, they lead to an alignment in teams and a shared sense of purpose.

So how can a leader identify when employees feel unheard, unvalued and unhappy, and what can they do about it? Here are three signs to watch out for:

1. They stop contributing and become passive

When people feel unheard and misunderstood they become disengaged and robot-like. They simply do what they’re told.

What to do as a leader: Demonstrate empathy and authenticity. Be sensitive to employees’ needs. Celebrate your teams and have an interest in them, seeking to build relationships and not just how they help you with performance.

2. They stop caring about performance and excellence

When employees start to focus only on the bare minimum required, they’re feeling ignored.

What to do as a leader: Create meaning around the job by connecting it to its purpose. Most employees are motivated by the knowledge that their efforts have an impact beyond the bottom line.

3. They stop infusing passion in their work

People who gradually show less and less enjoyment, investment and interest in what they do should be a red flag.

What to do as a leader: Develop more curiosity for their ideas and be open-minded. Remember that there is always more to learn from them. Set up innovation cafés and allow for a free flow of ideas to promote an environment of creativity and innovation. Then, undertake to implement at least one idea from each of these sessions. 

Shrinking the distance between the corner office and the watercooler

It’s clear that the art of listening is a critical skill for business leaders as they need to truly hear the needs, challenges, and ideas and thoughts of their staff to support them better.

However, because many leaders are no longer at the coalface every day, it becomes necessary for them to apply more listening strategies. I believe there are two ways in which leaders can be proactive and focused in actually hearing their teams.

• One-on-one conversations: This is the most effective and personal, because when done correctly they encourage employees to be open since they feel valued, heard, and unjudged.
• Ad-hoc interactions. This method is less formal and unstructured. It’s done by getting closer to what is happening on the ground through impromptu interactions, for example during the start of meetings, in emails, or by asking for a teams’ opinions on some of the decisions being made.

It’s important, however, that leaders also master the skill to sift ‘noise’ from essential narratives during these conversations, and recognise what they must take to heart and act on.

How useful are employee surveys?

Employee surveys are another way to try and gauge what employees are thinking and how they are feeling. But to what extent are these surveys effective? Do they perhaps present more pitfalls than pros?

The reality is that the nature of surveys lacks social dynamics and understanding employees in a meaningful way. I have seen employee surveys both succeed and fail completely. Fundamentally, leaders must go further than just surveys. They need to act on the information gathered with focus groups, and one-on-one sessions where possible, to bring the depth that surveys lack.

These follow throughs are a great opportunity to use active listening as a tool for collaboration and inclusivity.