Who knew that our ears could boost your business game? Active listening skills can amp up collaboration and productivity by a whopping 25%. Learning the art of listening also increases employee satisfaction by 30%. And a staggering 80% of workplace drama stems from poor communication. Clearly, listening isn't just kind — it's powerful. We spend about 45% of our waking hours listening. For the average American, that's around 7.58 hours a day. We hear between 20,000 to 30,000 words daily—way more than the 16,000 words we speak. Sadly, over 70% of workers suffer from poor listening habits, impacting learning (85% of what we learn is from listening) and problem-solving abilities. Listening Statistics – Word Finder by WordsRated; The Biggest Bang for Your Organization’s Buck? Active Listening Skills

Hearing is just your ears doing their job. Active listening? That's your brain going into overdrive, focusing on sounds and extracting meaning. It's a full-on mental workout involving attention, contemplation, and response. According to Harvard's Robin Abrahams and Boris Groysberg, active listening breaks down into three parts:

• Cognitive: Pay attention to all the info, both spoken and unspoken.
• Emotional: Keep calm and carry on, even if you're annoyed or bored.
• Behavioral: Show you're interested with verbal and non-verbal cues.

Ingredients for Active Listening

1. Presence: Be in the moment. Put down your phone, make eye contact, and show you're engaged. Avoid jumping to conclusions or trying to "fix" things right away.
2. Curiosity: Stay curious and humble. Ask questions to clarify and understand before you respond. Keep power dynamics and past feedback in mind.
3. Connection: Listening is about forming a connection. Understand and honor what the speaker values. This approach can lead to better progress for both parties involved.

Mastering the Art of Active Listening

1. Know Your Style: Identify if you're task-oriented, analytical, relational, or critical. Each style suits different situations.
2. Choose Wisely: Determine the best listening style for the moment by considering the conversation's goals and the speaker's needs.
3. Stay Focused: Don’t let insecurities or distractions (like checking emails) get in the way. Use mantras or meditation to keep your mind on track.
4. Ask Questions: It shows you're engaged and deepens your understanding. Questions can also uncover hidden emotions or unspoken points.

Remember, listening is more than just nodding and saying "Mm-hmm." It's about asking insightful questions and being truly present. If we stay curious, stay present, we can not only hear but understand and connect on a deeper level. Active listening isn’t just a nice-to-have skill; it's a game-changer. So, lend an ear, and who knows? You might just hear the next big idea.

What’s Your Listening Style?

What Is Active Listening?

From embracing discomfort to seeking advice, Crina and Kirsten dive into Dr. Adam Grant’s new book on the science of achievement. Discover how grit and persistence can lead to mastery, no matter where you are in your journey.

SHOW NOTES

In this episode of Crina and Kirsten Get to Work our hosts discuss Adam Grant’s new book on the science of achievement. Ever thought about what you’d like to get better at? Crina wants to learn how to have more fun and Kirsten is still working on figuring out “no.” Sigh.

Mastery can start at any chapter of your life. Take Laura Ingalls Wilder, who penned her first success in her 60s, or Vera Wang, who leapt from ice skates to runway gowns. Julia Child didn’t publish her first cookbook until 50, and Phyllis Diller took up stand-up comedy at 37. Or consider Steve Martin who spent years doing the labor of writing his own jokes to get really good at it - he did not start out being good, he learned to be so very good.

Dr. Adam Grant argues in his new book Hidden Potential that those who might lack natural flair but possess the grit to persist, embrace discomfort, and seek advice often outpace the naturally gifted. Think about it: the kid on the soccer field who isn’t the fastest but keeps pushing might just outshine the rest with sheer willpower.

Society tends to glorify innate talent. First off, it is just fun to watch someone who is innately good at something. We may value innate talent because it gives us an easy out when we are not naturally good at something - we do not have to experience the discomfort of trying. And yet we know that real satisfaction comes from finding our way through the tough stuff. Child prodigies often find real-world challenges daunting precisely because they haven’t navigated the messier, less predictable paths of life. The dichotomy of talent and challenge is fundamental to understanding our hidden potential.

Grant suggests that we embrace the discomfort that signals we are learning, mix up our routine to keep things interesting, and engage in the dual dance of seeking and giving advice. And there is so much more in Hidden Potential so give it a read.

In this episode of Crina and Kirsten Get to Work, our “hosts with the most” discuss not giving a #%$X! Yes, friends, there are times when we should care less about work. Our precious mental, emotional and even spiritual energy are really better used on something else.

There is so much we can care about at work - what other people think, what other people do, outcomes we cannot control, what information we do not have - just so much and yet when is it really worth it to care?

Our duo starts with what is worth caring about:

• Our personal relationships.
• The responsibilities we agree to take on at work, in community, or with our family and friends.
• Our professional/ personal development - being our best selves, which also includes really liking who we turn out to be.
• Our financial security.
• Our values and ethical and moral principles - living with integrity.

Work weaves its way through many of the things we care about. The challenge with work is that many of us tend to define ourselves by our work.

Harvard Business Review interviewed 700 employees and concluded that while passion at work is generally a good thing, too much passion leads to burnout and a little detachment goes a long way to creating a sustainable relationship with work, with reduced burnout, enhanced creativity, increased resilience, better focus and better decision making. Don’t Let Passion Lead to Burnout on Your Team (hbr.org)

So how to do we give less of a #%$X without getting ourselves into the #%$X?

Ask yourself why: Carefully consider why you care so deeply about something? Is it just about ego or is it really consistent with the list above (relationships you value, principles you hold dear . . .).

Ask yourself whether your response/involvement is really that important: Doing nothing can be perfectly appropriate; and remember most people care far less about what we do than we think.

Pur your job in context: A job is not the be all and end all of your life and if it is, that is a new issue to consider. For most of us a job funds our lives and those of the people we love.

Create boundaries between work life and personal life. Boundaries between work and personal are key to caring a little less when caring is overwhelming. Do you leave on time, do you check your emails all evening, do you cancel time with friends and family because of work emergencies? Creating stronger boundaries can help us create that work life balance, which may just need a little less caring.

And remember there are really always four responses to a situation:

• Exit: remove yourself from the situation; do nothing; LET THEM
• Voice: take action and try to improve the situation
• Persistence: stay in, kind of grin and bear it
• Neglect: stay but reduce effort

We have options in deciding how much we care. And we need to wisely use our caring energy.