Are You Listening?

Listening is a very active process. It is much different then hearing. When we listen we are trying to capture and internalize the meanings of the communications we're being presented with. In some cases we may be listening for a specific purpose, whether it's to learn something, develop an understanding of a situation, or better empathize with an individual's position, thought process, or perspective. As a manager listening is key to how we are perceived by our employees, leadership, and peers. It is also key in receiving the information necessary to making effective decisions. How can we work to fix a problem, improve a process, or negotiate a deal if we fail to develop an accurate understanding of the reality? As the manager of a large flight training campus, listening was essential to our success. To effectively manage the campus I had to first be listening to learn. On any single given day I could have hundreds of years of flight training experience in FAA examiners walking around the campus. I made an attempt to meet with, listen to, and interact with these individuals on a regular basis. Any and every time I met with these people, I had a note pad ready. I knew they had information based off their observations I could collect and utilize to improve the performance of the campus. I had to listen to mentor and manage. I regularly talked with the instructors, how were we managing their daily activities? Did they have enough time on the ground and in the air to accomplish the work they needed to accomplish? What idea's did they have that we could use to help improve their day? I listened to teach. I communicated with the students, I would have no idea how they're doing if I didn't talk with them, what do they know? what do they not know? what can we do to better teach them? In order to acquire all the information I needed to effectively manage the campus I had to participate in interactive and active listening. I had to participate in casual, factual, and emphatic conversations. Most importantly to this process, after listening and collecting the information I had to make decisions and initiate action that supported the information I received. Doing this made the daily operations improve, resulting in a better learning experience and success for the students. This overall success resulted in the improved perception among other managers, leadership, and external entities.