¶ … Listening The relevance of listening as a leadership skill cannot be overstated. This text evaluates the importance of listening. In so doing, the relevance of listening in the role of a leader will be highlighted. Further, the text will amongst other things also assess how leaders must listen to not only peers but also followers. Effective approaches to improve listening skills will also be discussed.

According to Skinner (1992), "active listening shows the leader's respect and love for those with whom he works…" In that regard, employees are more likely than not to respond positively to leaders who listen to them. Thus good listening skills on the leader's part could motivate employees towards better performance. As Junarso (2009) points out, based on their ability to make others feel important, leaders who listen have a higher chance of being listened to. This effectively enhances their efficiency.

Listening also promotes accuracy. It is important to note that in comparison to a poor listener, a better listener is more likely to recall important issues as well as facts going forward. This effectively means that leaders who happen to be better listeners are less likely to trigger mistakes brought about by miscommunications. This way, costly errors are averted while avoiding unnecessary conflicts.

Junarso (2009) is also of the opinion that active listening tends to make leaders better informed. This according to the author is more so the...

Thus leaders who are active listeners also tend to be well informed and can hence make better decisions.
In seeking to be active listeners, leaders should listen to not only their peers but also their followers. When it comes to peers, it is important to note that individuals in their private capacities possess different and diverse skills. No single leader can be an expert in all areas. Listening to peers helps a leader to enhance his skills in areas where he or she may not be as competent. Further, in the organizational setting, listening to peers creates harmony across the organization.

On the other hand, a leader should also be able to maintain a good rapport with his or her followers by being mindful of their views and opinions. This is more so the case when it comes to change management. The increasingly competitive business environment today calls upon businesses to embrace change so as to remain relevant. However, such change can only be successful if one in an attempt to make followers partners in the change process incorporates their suggestions. Failure to do this could lead to sabotage. Active listening is one of the ways in which a leader gets to know of the views of followers. Active listening also allows leaders to identify various problems in the workplace and institute corrections in a timely manner. In the words of Junarso (2009), "a leader who listens is one who knows what is going…