The Listening Cycle: Closing the Loop

  • Author:
  • Denver, CO, USA
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:

  • (32)

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: How Mallory Brown Redefines Humanitarianism with Empathy and Action When you think of a humanitarian, you might picture someone delivering aid, raising funds, or advocating loudly for change. Mallory Brown does all of that—but she does it differently. She shifts the spotlight from the “problem” to the “person,” using […]

  • April 25, 2025
  • (3)

BEING MINDFUL OF MINDSETS and The Power of a Growth Mindset by Grant Driver In July 2019, I experienced one of the most significant and yet most daunting moments of my career as a professional speaker.  I had been invited by Discovery Healthcare to present a 3-hour workshop to thirty Neurosurgeons on my research into […]

  • January 23, 2023
  • (10)

What are the warning signs of an empty resilience tank? HOW TO KNOW WHEN IT’S TIME TO PAUSE In my experience, there are four primary indicators that tend to show up each time my resilience tank is running low. They don’t always show up in the same order but, without fail, they will show up […]

  • February 10, 2023
  • (45)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming industries worldwide, and at the forefront of this revolution are visionary keynote speakers who inspire and lead the discourse on AI development and innovation. Here are some of the most influential Leading in AI Keynote Speakers making significant strides in 2025: 1. Jensen Huang – The Visionary Leader As […]

  • February 27, 2025
  • (94)

Robotheism: The Rise of AI Worship and Its Implications for the Events Industry What happens when machines become more than tools—and start becoming gods? As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, a provocative trend has quietly emerged: Robotheism—the belief in or reverence of superintelligent AI as a higher power. What sounds like science fiction is steadily […]

  • April 30, 2025
  • (7)

Building High-Performing Teams: Lessons from Workplace Culture Keynotes In today’s rapidly evolving work environment, where remote and hybrid models have become the norm, team cohesion and morale are more important than ever. High-performing teams are the cornerstone of organizational success, driving innovation, productivity, and employee satisfaction. But what makes a team truly thrive? Insights from […]

  • December 18, 2024
  • (15)

8 Women to Celebrate this October (and Book) October invites reflection, celebration, and inspiration and here at Speakers Inc, we’re proud to showcase eight extraordinary women speakers who are helping shape the future across industries. Whether your event focuses on leadership, resilience, cybersecurity, inclusion, or AI, these thought leaders will bring insight, energy, and impact […]

  • October 10, 2025
  • (12)

IT’S A NORMAL DAY ON ALIWAL SHOAL. ABOVE TWENTY DEGREES CELSIUS,  BLUE WATER WITH SMALL PARTICLES, A LITTLE BIT OF A CURRENT PUSHING, WE DRIFT ALONG WITH IT, WAITING FOR THE SHARKS… (THIS IS THE STORY OF MY FIRST EVER FREEDIVE WITH SHARKS) It’s a clear blue sky, warm air and a slight breeze- winter […]

  • December 8, 2022

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get connected:

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated.

We use Brevo as our marketing platform. By submitting this form you agree that the personal data you provided will be transferred to Brevo for processing in accordance with Brevo's Privacy Policy.

Our Mission:

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025.  Designed using Voxel

Speakers Inc Logo 2024
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.