A courageous leader's Reflection

Posted by Everyday Leader Share Your Voice

In this years Leaders as Learners program we have been learning a lot about our ability to listen.   I went to visit some friends Friday evening for the purpose of practicing my listening skills:) and you won't believe what I discovered!

One thing I discerned about my listening is I used to never want to listen to one particular friend because I had never really trusted her views - mostly because of her attitude and the "cranky voice" I heard when she was voicing her opinion.  Well, I purposely tried hard to really listen to her on Friday evening and I actually enjoyed it.  It was like discovering my friend all over again.  I still heard her "cranky voice" at times but instead of tuning her out, I tried to listen intently and she had some very interesting things to say.

I realized I had been allowing her close-mindedness on various issues to keep me from paying much attention to what she had to say.  I still had a hard time trusting what she was saying and I learned that despite another person's attitude, it is still beneficial for me to listen to what they have to say.  So it's got me wondering, "Have I made a habit of this...tuning people out whose opinions I don't trust over my own based on their attitudes or close-mindedness?" I am not sure so I will be noticing this going forward and deciding what I want to do to change it!

Karen, Systems Engineer, Virginia Credit Union 

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