The Listening Cycle: Closing the Loop
- Author:
- Word Count: 454
Read the news article
Over the last four weeks, I’ve elaborated on what I call the Closing the Loop. You can find the articles here. This consists of:
- Step 1: Recognizing the Unsaid – Unspoken things in your culture’s organization to recognize that your people aren’t telling their entire truth.
- Step 2: Seeking to Understand – Leaning in to understand someone’s perspective and really hearing them.
- Step 3: Decode – Taking time to reflect, investigate, and then ponder about the feedback you have been given and what to do about it.
- Step 4: Act – Acting upon what you’ve heard, so your people know their voices are powerful and that you will do something about the feedback that is given.
- Step 5: Closing the Loop – Connecting the dots by sharing what you’ve heard and the actions you’re taking.
I think, often, leaders don’t put in the time to truly learn how to listen because it may seem primal. But, the truth is, truly listening is something most leaders don’t know how to do.
Think about it – have you ever had a manager who really listened to you?
In this video, I break down what it means to connect the dots from the very beginning of the process to the very end.
Plus, I tell you about the extremely rewarding results that closing the loop has.
Hint, hint: it makes team members feel valued, heard, and included because they know that their feedback was taken into consideration and actions were taken as a result.
The Listening Cycle: Closing the Loop
I want to challenge you to write down (or think) about a time when:
You felt that your manager truly listened to you
You felt like your voice was not heard
Let’s think about how this made you feel.
Now that you have these two distinct feelings in mind, you will better understand how important completing the five steps in the listening process is.
You wouldn’t want to make someone feel like you did when your voice was not heard, right?
Of course not! So, I encourage you to take the initiative and create a Culture of Listening in your organization.
Heather R Younger is a highly sought-after speaker, 2x-TEDx speaker, diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist, and contributor to leading news outlets. She is also the Founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, a leading employee engagement and consulting firm.
After over 25,000 employee engagement surveys and years of working with organizations to transform employee engagement, here’s what Heather has seen over and over:
When you know how to listen, employees will tell you exactly what they need to bring their full selves to work for Closing the Loop.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and view WeSpeak Global
Further articles you may enjoy:
- (7)
Kevin Gaskell seems to be meeting more and more people in business at the moment who are concerned that the economy is a bumpy ride and unpredictable. You can certainly feel a lot of turbulence in the air; Brexit, Trump, FX rates, inflation, Russia, Middle East, fake news etc. The truth is that if you […]
- January 13, 2023
- (4)
Over three decades or so I’ve been involved with more than a dozen businesses providing Inspired Leadership. All but one has been extremely successful*. The key and consistent factor to their success is leadership that inspires the teams to strive for excellence. An inspirational leader is the catalyst for creativity and innovation. Inspired Leadership doesn’t […]
- April 22, 2023
- (7)
We are all spending a lot of time inside our homes. How much do you REALLY need? For those whose homes are a disorganized clutter zone, this could be stressful and result in more anxiety than isolating already brings to the table. If you are constantly tripping over stuff on the floor, and having to […]
- December 20, 2022
- (9)
Speakers Inc, San Diego has available to present Employee Engagement and Business Culture Speakers to open or close your next Salt Lake City, Utah event or conference. Speakers Inc, San Diego is a leading speaker platform that brings you excellent employee engagement and culture speakers that delivers keynotes over 500 times per year. Our culture […]
- January 17, 2023
- (8)
Is Complacency Putting You Risk? Lessons From a Fighter Pilot Flying taught me a valuable lesson about life: complacency can cause serious problems for ourselves and those around us. In this newsletter, share a personal story about the dangers of complacency including the following topics: Complacency Consequences What leads to complacency? Signs Complacency is Creeping […]
- August 6, 2023
- (57)
Speakers Inc International is a Professional Speakers Bureau, based in San Diego. Speakers Inc has branches in USA and Southern Africa. We were started a little over 24 years ago by Bronwyn. Our mission is to help our clients find the best, most suitable SPEAKERS for their particular conference or event. We represent South Africa’s […]
- January 2, 2023
- (11)
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an indispensable tool for corporate transformation, particularly in enhancing sales and productivity. By automating routine tasks, personalizing customer experiences, and deriving actionable insights from vast datasets, AI provides companies with a competitive edge, fostering growth and improving operational efficiency. Boosting Sales through AIAI empowers […]
- October 25, 2024
- (56)
The Great Debate in Event Planning – Virtual, Hybrid, or In-Person? The event planning industry is buzzing with controversy: is the future of events virtual, hybrid, or in-person? As technology continues to evolve and attendee expectations shift, planners face the challenge of choosing formats that balance innovation, accessibility, and impact. This debate is not just […]
- January 20, 2025
