A Dynamic Duo: Two Power Skills You Need To Master
How Listening and Intention combine to unlock the potential of teams.
Did you know July 18th is World Listening Day? Yes – a whole day focused on quieting down, opening our ears, and truly listening to the world around us. Becoming a better listener improves understanding, strengthens relationships, enhances problem solving and reduces stress and tension. Listening is also one of the two main ingredients in building a successful work team (and home team, too). LISTENING and INTENTION intertwine to create a harmonious environment where teams thrive.
Active listening, originally defined by psychologists Carl Rogers and Richard Farson (1987), is the foundation of effective communication within teams. When team members actively listen to one another, they foster an atmosphere of trust and respect, allowing for collaboration and idea sharing to take flight.
Listening, when done well, helps to:
Build bridges: By attentively listening to different perspectives, team members gain insights into different viewpoints, allowing them to bridge gaps and find common ground.
Foster creativity: Open ears encourage the flow of ideas.
Strengthen bonds: When team members feel heard and acknowledged, it strengthens their emotional connection, building a sense of unity and fellowship.
Active listening involves a different skillset than your “run of the mill” or “everyday” listening. Check out these resources from Positive Psychology to hone your Active Listening techniques.
Intention acts as the compass that directs the team’s energy and actions towards a shared purpose. When you communicate with intention, you practice being aware of the impact you’ll have on others. The purpose and implication of how you respond to what you hear guide your actions. Often times, we enter into a conversation, ready to focus on our own goals, our own interests, and what we want to get out of it. When team members align their intentions, amazing things take shape. Here’s how intention creates teams who communicate well, and subsequently build stronger, more productive relationships:
Clear direction: A shared intention provides a clear roadmap, ensuring everyone is moving in the same direction.
Motivation and commitment: When team members understand the purpose behind their work, they become motivated and committed to achieving their team goals. Intentions ignite passion and drive, moving the team forward.
Accountability and responsibility: Intention sets the tone for accountability within the team. When everyone knows what they are working for they take responsibility for their tasks, ensure accountability and productivity.
Listening and intention are essentially dance partners that create a synchronized rhythm within teams. When combined, listening nurtures a safe space for intentions to be shared and understood. Intentions guide team members actions and choices considering interpersonal impact and shared outcomes, while listening ensures everyone’s voices are heard and valued.
When you cultivate active listening and align intentions on your team, you unleash your untapped potential.. How do you practice this unbeatable duo – active listening and intention – on your team?