Effective Listening and the Leader
Introduction
Listening to others in today's military is essential. In the Army Doctrine Publication (ADP 6-22), the Department of the Army (2019) states that effective leadership is paramount in the military. The military value leader development and it provides the leaders with education and training for them to gain the capability of influencing and inspiring others. An important point to note about leadership in the military is that leaders must demonstrate competency. Leaders must have the ability to communicate effectively. Thus, effective communication is a competency and the communication process should promote shared understanding. The Department of the Army points out that communication become effective when leaders listen actively to the subordinated. Listening actively is important as it avoids interruption and helps the leader understand the message. In general, effective listening help leaders to fulfill the subordinates' needs and to build relationships. It is important to understand that in the military, subordinates want the leaders to listen to them. This means that leaders must pay attention to the subordinates' needs and become mindful. Leaders who listen to subordinates create trustworthy relationships and overall organizational success. The goal of this paper is to explain that listening is a critical component within the military and that leaders should possess this critical skill to create a sustainable military organization, build a good relationship, and respect and trust. The nature of the report dictates the use of this secret weapon within the military as it is realistic and practical and the most important leadership skill.
According to Longwei & Kroon (2018), modern organizations are experiencing unavoidable changes, especially in the competitive landscape. The Department of the Army (2019) also states that leaders in the military experience stress of change due to the over-changing situations, environmental pressure, and more. The military manages changes using factors such as teamwork, discipline, training, and other factors (DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, 2019). Other organizations use factors such as self-management, strategic actions creative-solving solving, effective decision-making, and more. However, the most important of all is communication. The latter is a process where organization members share plans and ideas in solving business issues (Longweni & Kroon, 2018). Effective listening is part of the communication process and this means that in addressing the organization issues that are brought by the ever-changing environment, leaders need managerial competencies one of them is effective listening (DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, 2019). Listening allows leaders to pay attention to the needs of the subordinate, and promote interpersonal relationships. Subordinates want leaders to listen actively to their voices and as a result, they develop a sense of belonging and increases performance to achieve the organization's objectives (Longweni & Kroon, 2018). Another important point to note is that listening allows leaders to provide positive feedback that subordinate integrate into their practices.
In the communication process, listening takes up 40%. From the subordinate point of view, effective leaders are those who use effective listening (Longweni & Kroon, 2018). Subordinate values listening in that it is a tool that connects them with leaders and it also helps them achieve interpersonal objectives. The authors say that for managers to solve complex problems and come up with a better solution, they must listen attentively to the subordinates. Department of the Army (2019) adds that leaders have a responsibility to assess the developmental needs of others. This statement raises a question that 'how can leaders understand the needs of others without listening to their voices?". This means that leaders must listen actively to the subordinates. In other words, there must be effective communication between the leader and the subordinates. During the communication process, subordinates should have an opportunity to comment while leaders listen actively to their point of views (DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, 2019). Managers need listening skills to solve problems; that is; they need to pay attention to the subordinates. The document puts it clear that to become effective listeners, managers should identify the obstacles that hinder listening, and secondly, they should incorporate positive behaviors that promote listening.
Another area where effective listening is needed in the military is during counseling. According to the Department of the Army (2019), during counseling, subordinates have an active role or there are active participants. Therefore, for the counseling session to be effective or rather to produce positive outcomes, leaders should allow subordinates to express themselves. Leaders should practice being effective listeners for them to make effective decisions and avoid premature judgments. Listening entails listening to subordinates or paying attention to what subordinates say. To understand the subordinates, leaders need to have focused attention on the verbal and nonverbal cues (DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, 2019). Listening also entails understanding the meaning and intent. This means that leaders should not only listen to what subordinates say must they should also understand the intention or the underlying purpose of communicating. Finally, listening entails understanding the feelings and values (DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, 2019). This means that during communication, leaders must know the subordinate's feelings by watching their body language, facial expression, and more. In general, effective listening will help the leaders build trust which will promote shared understanding and mutual respect.
Conclusion
This report has provided military leaders with advice, knowledge, and practice of using active listening to become effective leaders. The paper argues that listening is an essential organizational tool that builds strong relationships and helps leaders solve conflicts. Leaders can understand the underlying issues with the organization through effective listening. They should pay attention to the subordinates' needs and listen to their voices and promote a healthy and safe environment within the place of work. Although effective listening in the leadership domain is unrecognized it promotes mutual respect within the organization. The paper makes a call to action and persuades leaders to incorporate listening in the leadership style. As a result, leaders who value effective listening will create interpersonal connections, bring people together, and foster trust.
References
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY. (2019). ADP 6-22: ARMY LEADERSHIP AND THE PROFESSION. Washngton DC,
https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN20039_ADP%206-22%20C1%20FINAL%20WEB.pdf
Longweni, M., & Kroon, J. (2018). Managers' listening skills, feedback skills and ability to deal
with interference: A subordinate perspective. Acta Commercii, 18(1), 1-12.
