Learn to listen - no, learn to listen properly!
Love at first sight may not work for most people, but it is evidently true that first impressions do count. In particular I have found that the impressions a new leader makes in his early days stay with them for some time to come. Make a positive first impression on the people around you and you are swimming with the tide; make a negative impression and you are skiing uphill - for some time to come. So, think about how you come across and make the effort to let people know that you are really interested in them and in what they do. Incidentally, this is not just about how you interact with your own team or direct reports; it is about how you interact with everyone connected to what you do. In most organisations the power of the informal network is considerable and as the newcomer you are by definition not part of it of this network. They will be talking about you! So your behaviour to one is quickly translated into behaviour to all. Think of it as dealing with the Borg Collective (for those Trekkies out there!)
In this connection it is worth looking at a couple of books. One of these is Daniel Goleman's "Primal Leadership" (along with Bovatzis and McKee). Lots, if not all, of this is great reading but in this particular connection pay attention to the concept of "resonance". This is the ability of the leader to perceive and influence the flow of emotions (including motivational states) between themselves and others that they work with. An essential element in resonance is of course a high degree of self-awareness, including the ability to perceive and moderate the effect one is having on others.
The second book is Steven Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". Look in particular at the section on "empathic listening" (which is habit 5, I think). The point that Covey makes most powerfully is that it is not simply enough to try and see things from someone else's point of view. True empathic listening comes when one can actually feel what the other person is feeling. Covey calls this "sensing", and others might use the word intuition. Some people I know just seem to have this, almost as a gift. But it is something that you can consciously set out to do and can practice. Worth reading the book (or that part of it) for further guidance!
Any other good reads in this area that anyone would like to recommend?
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