Home
>
Team Building
>
Listening Between the Lines

Listening Between the Lines

Have you seen the tee-shirt with the slogan, "Talk to the hand 'cos the face ain't listening?" Do you feel it's like this sometimes when you are trying to get through to people? But just how good a listener are you? Do you actually "listen between the lines?"

So often we hear about a problem, and immediately jump in. We want a quick fix. However, we are inside our own head, and make no attempt to get into the head of the other person.

As a leader of staff it is very challenging to keep quiet, and to listen. This is the key, though, to getting the best out of your workforce. Take the time to listen to what they are saying. What motivates them? What are they putting up with at work? What issues really concern them?

As a parent, or as a partner, we become mindful of our own listening skills. So often, lack of time, and stress in our lives get in the way of listening to those close to us. We hear, but we do not understand.

It is always tricky being around adolescents with their notorious mood swings. And yet, if you take the time to listen to them, to participate in their lives, you may discover a real friend. The key is to put your own issues on hold, and to get to know the child at his or her level.

My teenage daughter and I were talking about the bombings in London in July. Her value set was obviously challenged. I made time and space to listen to her, and let her drive the conversation. As a result, I was able to build up her trust. A stronger relationship between the two of us emerged.

This is no different from what you could achieve with your own staff. Let them know your door is always open, that you are open to discuss any problem they might have.

Be careful about how high you set expectations. Do you give the impression that you just want to get the job done? Do people feel that you are so focused that you would not listen anyway?

By taking the time to listen you will be able to address their grievance, and move on together. Everyone will be happier, and you will have laid a real foundation of trust.

Julianne Kuhlmann, founder of Kool Results Coaching, offers Leadership Coaching and Consulting services that are tailored to meet the personal and professional development needs of leaders and leadership teams. Julianne provides individual and team leadership coaching, as well as a variety of workshops on leadership development. Contact Julianne at info@koolresults.com.au, and visit info@koolresults.com.au

eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..

In The News:

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

Listening Between the Lines

Team Building