Hear It How They Do

One of the most dangerous things a leader can do is assume.

We often assume we know what our teams need. We assume we know what the client or audience wants. We apply our leadership overlay onto their reality and wonder why there is a disconnect.

Let’s try it another way….

Maybe we could throttle back on inserting assumptions, and try to "Hear It How They Do."

It works like this:

When you’re facing a different or unknown perspective, just Pause - Breathe - Reframe. Our reframe will be an internal shift away from or a shift to help restructure, our default assumptions:

* Suspend your own logic. (Stop thinking "But the policy says...")

* Remove the "Overlay." (Stop thinking "If I were them, I would...")

* Validate their specific reality. (Start considering "How are they experiencing this issue and how does the outcome impact them?")

When we Hear It How They Do, it is the practical application of empathy. If we want to resonate with our teams, our clients, even our kids - we have to stop hearing what we expect to hear, or trying to mold a favorable response, and start hearing what is actually being said.

Have you ever felt a leader truly "heard it how you did"?