by Kittie W. Watson, Ph.D. and Becky Ripley, MS
“The true measure of leadership is influence—nothing more. Nothing less.”
—John Maxwell
Leadership is often defined as the ability to influence others. Beloved leaders set the stage to influence through relationships built on trust, confidence and support. Others influence by providing data and evidence to demonstrate their value. And, still others influence through power and control of rewards. Our research over the last 30 years suggests that employees are influenced differently depending on their listening preferences.
Influential leaders understand how important it is to listen first to gain insight and demonstrate understanding before advocating a position or point of view. Listening agility, especially for women, helps them better gain attention and address the needs of listeners where they are. Strategic and successful listening leaders leverage and enhance their agility by learning how to understand and adapt to differing listener preferences.
When leaders gain wisdom about when and how to approach others as well as their ability to listen, they achieve greater influence and success. Most listening patterns and habits are highly automated and consistent over time. Research conducted with thousands of executives, managers, employees and students both in the United States and abroad over the last three decades, has identified four distinct listener preference orientations: people, action, content, and time. These preferences impact how leaders engage, influence, and make judgments and decisions. Leaders of influence learn how to adapt to others to improve communication effectiveness and efficiency. Consider the following:
People-oriented listeners are relational in their approach to listening and often enjoy stories and anecdotes. Usually open-minded about topics of interest and the time they allow to listen, these listeners tend to care about relationships and want to trust the person who is speaking. It is advisable to get to know these individuals prior to decision-making meetings, to use personal examples, and to include the names of people who they know as well as to use “we” language.
Action-oriented listeners prefer to listen to key points up front and appreciate a preview in outline form. They respond best to presentations that are well-organized, succinct and concise. They tend to scrutinize information, identify inconsistencies and become impatient with wordy speakers, extraneous information and too much detail. Usually clear about their expectations, they can jump to conclusions quickly and give direct feedback about what they hear. When information is valuable to them, they will engage and become more flexible with time.
Content-oriented listeners prefer detail and information about both sides of issues. They usually ask a lot of questions and require factual information and evidence before making a decision. Enjoying complex, technical information, they often prefer data/statistics or expert opinion rather than anecdotal perspectives. Not as concerned about time, they want to ensure that others have done their homework and are thoroughly prepared with backup information and detailed support.
Time-oriented listeners are very conscious of schedules and often give specific time limitations for meetings and conversations. The most impatient of all the listener types, these listeners may interrupt wordy speakers and expect agendas to be followed precisely. Sometimes confused as action-oriented rather than time-oriented, these listeners are most focused on their own schedules and may tune-out when speakers go over time limits.
Most audiences are made up of a variety of listeners. It is best to understand the differences and adapt accordingly. Beware that while listeners have a primary preference, many have two or more high preferences. For example, leaders and customers may be more people-oriented with individuals they like, and more time-oriented with those they don’t. It is best to prepare messages to include all members of your audience. For example, since action and time-oriented listeners often focus on getting to the heart of the matter quickly, it is effective to give an executive summary that covers the key points to ensure the most important information is covered up front. More detail can be provided during question and answer sessions.
Note: Research results using the Listener Preference Profile (Watson & Barker, 2015; Ripley & Watson, 2014; Weaver, Watson & Barker, 1996; Watson, Barker & Weaver 1995) suggest that approximately 40 percent of the general population uses a single-listener preference. Of this percentage, people- and action-oriented preferences are the most prevalent. About 25 percent of the general population has two listening preferences, and about 15 percent of the general population has three or four preferences.
Reminder: There is No One Best Way to Listen
While listener preferences are neither good nor bad, the best communicators go beyond their own preferences to better match individual and group listener needs. Understanding listener preference patterns in the general population can help us identify people’s preference traits. The way we choose to listen to others is influenced by how much time we have to listen as well as the relationship we have with group members. Even when under pressure, we usually listen differently to people we value or who have power. Regardless of others’ influence over us, listening agility is one of the most influential skills for communication and leadership success.
Kittie W. Watson, Ph.D., is President and founder of Innolect Inc., a global leadership and organizational development firm that prepares executives and their teams to succeed in high-performance, high-integrity workplaces. Kittie is a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 C-suite officers seeking to accelerate positive business results today and create legacies of excellence for the future. A passionate advocate for Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs), she was named a 2017 Top 100 woman-owned CEO. She serves on the WBENC Forum and the GWBC Board as the 2nd Vice Chair. Innolect’s distinguished clients include the US Army, Bayer, Southern Company, Wells Fargo, Credit Human and Genentech. As the former Chair of the Department of Communication at Tulane University, she is the author of 15 books, has been featured on ABC’s 20/20 and other publications including: American Medical News, Bottom-line Personal, Money, Glamour, and Home Office Computing. Two of her most recent books are Leadership Coaching: The Fast-Track to Effectiveness and 21 Days to Smarter Listening.
Rebecca A. Ripley, MS, is the Excursion Learning and Sustainable Legacies Practice Leader for Innolect, Inc. Becky led a non-profit organization early in her career, worked in corporate HR, and is committed to helping organizations become productive places where individuals thrive. Whether in the role of coach, consultant or team facilitator, she helps to unleash the potential for high performance at both the individual and system level. Clients praise her listening skills, and her practical, solution-oriented approach. Becky coauthored Leadership Coaching: The Fast-Track to Effectiveness and Innolect’s Flip Focus resource, The Listening Leader.
Innolect is a global leadership and organization development firm that prepares executives and their teams to succeed in high-performance, high-integrity workplaces – We Grow the Leaders in Everyone. To learn more about Innolect’s innovative approach to development, visit innolectinc.com for free downloads of articles and resources.