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Want to become a good leader? Become a
good listener! Here are two stories of
what happens when we don't take time to
listen. The first is from a young woman
hurt by a manager who constantly cut her
off: 'We expected he would wait and give
us answers to serious questions about
our work. Many times he walked off when
we were in mid-sentence, having heard
nothing.' The next is from a church
youth director who was fired: 'After
serving the Lord there for two years, I
was called into an elders' meeting. They
took out a list of all the things I'd
done wrong in the past two years. Most
of what they said was true, for I was
brand new in this work. Then they called
for my resignation. What did I learn? a)
not once did anyone care enough to coach
or shepherd me b) I'd no idea or warning
that I was doing anything wrong c) the
church leaders never built a
relationship with their staff.' Why is
it so hard for leaders to listen?
Because leaders love to talk, and as
they gain more authority they think they
have less reason to listen. Leaders by
their very nature tend to be removed
from the frontlines of battle. To win,
they must constantly listen to those who
are in the trenches and rely on that
information to make wise decisions.
Before Ezekiel was qualified to prophesy
or lead God's people, he wrote: '...I
sat among them for seven days -
overwhelmed. At the end of seven days
the word of the Lord came to me'
(Ezekiel 3:15-16 NIV). |