“Long-lead” listening will speed up your work
Something strange happens when we promote talented people into leadership roles.
We say things like, “well, they’re phenomenal at driving growth” or “no one is better at working with customers,” …and then one day, we give them the keys to lead a team or their startup is funded.
But, as this piece in Harvard Business Review notes, the most productive people don’t always make the best managers. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is vital for individual contributors, but it’s pretty much the most critical thing you can do as a leader. Without it, you’re bound to create exponential levels of damage and confusion.
Listening is often the first and hardest step in building your EQ. Here’s a quick breakdown of how “long lead listening” works and why it helps increase speed and alignment.
Framework for “long lead” listening
Although you can use it in various professional relationships, this is one of my favorite strategies that work particularly well with direct reports.
Here's how it works:
In your 1:1s or individual/group settings, pay attention to what people are saying, and when you notice something is essential to them, make sure to hit pause and make a note for yourself.
After a few days or weeks, come back to them in a 1:1 setting and ask a question along the lines of the examples below:
I noticed you said XYZ, and I wanted to ask you about that — would you be open to sharing more about it?
I was thinking more about what you said around XYZ last week; what are your thoughts on [question/idea here that relates to what they said].
Then, keep returning to those things over time, and if they stay relevant, you can fold them into broader conversations about projects & career goals/growth.
This type of approach has several benefits, among them:
Your team realizes you are paying attention to their work & what's important to them.
You create an environment where not everything must be "fixed" or "solved." It's ok to think about things for a while. This is important because your team will need to become comfortable thinking about/gathering data for medium and long-term questions, challenges, problems, and ideas.
People have roots that show & we should welcome this as an opportunity to get to know them. While this isn't precisely work-related, it matters because the reality is that someone can't consistently deliver great work without self-awareness and a sense of belonging, full stop.
When you consistently build in long lead listening, you’ll spend less time wondering what’s important to yourself and others. And it’s a valuable skill that leads to faster and easier alignment in day-to-day operations, too.