To be a good listener, focus on comprehension. On https://garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com/, learn more tips for boosting executive-level leadership and communication skills.

Kevin Sharer, former chair and CEO of Amgen, a biotech company, explains how he became a good listener. Through his late thirties or early forties, he neglected to listen well, he says in a McKinsey interview. “My conversations were all about some concept of intellectual winning and ‘I’m going to prove I’m smarter than you,’” he says.

What changed for him at that point? He learned to focus on comprehension. The former president and CEO of IBM, Sam Palmisano, came to speak to our leadership team, “I learned to listen by having only one objective: comprehension. I was only trying to understand what the person was trying to convey to me. I wasn’t listening to critique or object or convince,” Kevin recalls in the interview. This completely shifted Kevin’s mindset about listening, he continues—and with this new focus, his bandwidth for truly listening rose significantly.

As a senior leader, Kevin feels that being a good listener is a survival skill—you need to understand and retain complex information from numerous people. That means listening for comprehension, he asserts.

As Kevin explains, to change your behavior, you need self-awareness and a genuine desire to change. He wanted to achieve a 50-50 balance of speaking and listening (as opposed to his former 90-10 balance), and that made all the difference, he emphasizes.

Like Kevin in his younger days, do you struggle to truly listen? Do you find yourself framing your arguments or thinking of how to make yourself sound smart as the other person speaks? If so, try listening for comprehension. Instead of patting yourself on the back for making a smart response, pat yourself on the back for learning something new that enhances your understanding. This not only makes you a more competent leader, but conveys immense respect for all those you interact with. From your employees to senior leaders, they will notice and appreciate your efforts.

At https://garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com, get Joel’s tried-and-true tips on growing the most essential leadership skills. He shares hundreds of articles on cultivating executive presence, communication skills, and other core qualities of high-level leaders.

Visit https://joelinspirationalspeaker.com to learn more about Joel’s motivational webinars and speeches!

Buy Joel’s book Executive Presence: Step Into Your Power, Convey Confidence & Lead with Conviction: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8RJ5MZV
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