How to listen like a Servant-Leader

Robert Greenleaf said listening is the premier skill of the Servant-Leader: “I have a bias which suggests that only a true natural servant automatically responds to any problem by
 listening first. When he is a leader, this disposition causes him to be seen as servant first. This suggests
 that a nonservant who wants to be a servant might become a natural servant through a long arduous discipline of learning to listen, a discipline sufficiently sustained that the automatic response to any problem is to listen first.”

In the context of sending and receiving information, the spoken word transmits only 35% of the intended meaning. The remaining 55% of communications is through body language. That is why it is so easy to misunderstand a text message or email, as there are no body language cues or ability to hear the senders voice.

Mindful listening is challenging. We process between 13% to 25% of what we hear. No wonder the lecture-method is so ineffective in education!

4 Types of Listening Styles

Cara Bramlett, a physician assistant, describes the four types of listening styles:

People-oriented: Strong focus on understanding the feelings of the individual speaking. Emphasis on empathy and emotional intelligence. The earlier article on draining the emotional bubble is an example.

engine 1 glugContent-oriented: Fact-finding mission and assessing the credibility of the speaker. The goal is to understand the situation. “Captain, I was so surprised when the pumper started moving into the lake. I thought I set the brake.”

Action-oriented: Focusing on the plan or actions of the individuals. This task-oriented listening is used when operating at emergency incidents or high-risk situations.

Time-oriented: Looking for the summary points and short answers. Caregivers interrupting a chest pain patient who is providing an extensive history of his cardiac disease is an example of a time-oriented listener.

We mix these listening styles depending on the situation and the speaker.

Servant-Leader Listening Checklist

The techniques and concerns with servant-leader listening closely follow the draining the emotional bubble process described by Mike Taigman. Don Frick provides this servant-leader listening checklist:

  • Do my body and face show that I am involved in the conversation and interested in what the person is saying?
  • Am I interrupting or hurrying the person along?
  • Am I asking appropriate, open questions to draw the person out?
  • Am I using my own words to clarify the person’s message and reflect his or her feelings?
  • Am I not judging, criticizing, analyzing or trying to fix the person?
  • Am I responding to feedback in a non-defensive manner? (Sipe and Frick)

5 ways to Listen Better

Julian Treasure provided a 2011 TedTalk “5 ways to Listen Better” (7:42 minutes)

The five techniques are:

  1. Silence
  2. The Mixer
  3. Savoring
  4. Position
  5. RASA (Recieve-Appreciate-Summarize-Ask)

Mindful listening is a core servant-leader skill that builds the foundation of trust with the team you supervise. Now that you are listening, what will you do with the issues and information you are learning?

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Greenleaf, Robert K. (1970)  The Servant as Leader. Indianapolis: The Robert Greenleaf
Center for Servant Leadership.  [2008 revised edition ISBN: 0982201222]

Bramlett, Cara (2017) Servant Leadership Roadmap: Master the 12 Core Competencies of Management Success with Leadership Qualities and Interpersonal Skills. Amazon Digital Services ASIN: B078MR5MQR

Sipe, James W., and Frick, Don F. (2015) Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership: Practicing the Wisdom of Leading By Serving. Mahwah NJ: Paulist Press. Epub ISBN 978-1-58768-490-6

Treasure, John (2017) How to be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening. Amazon Digital Services. ASIN: B06XX87DLZ