Every business goal is to grow, whether a small or large business, for a charity purpose, or just for profit. Businesses need to grow. But how can they grow in a place that stifles others’ ideas, thoughts, and opinions that may help contribute to the business’s success?
Here is where mindful listening comes to play. Some people might think mindless listening is something that they can avoid. Still, keeping your mind at bay and preventing it from wandering during a conversation is quite difficult.
Imagine this scenario: you are having a conversation with your employees or speaking with your managers, and suddenly, a point, opinion, or thought you don’t fully agree with is shared. Immediately your brain starts to go haywire and unruly. Before long, you will find yourself being judgemental of the other party and already planning or scheming up what to say in response.
If you have experienced this or something similar, congratulations. You have practiced mindless listening as opposed to mindful and active listening. Let’s look at mindful listening and why it matters in the success of your business.
What is Mindful Listening?
Mindful Listening is the purposeful art of giving your full attention and focus to the party speaking to understand their thoughts, emotions, and words without being judged. It is opposed to mindless listening, which involves paying no attention to what the other speaker is saying. The majority of the time, value conflicts are responsible. But what is value conflict, how does it relate to mindful listening, and what role does it play in business success?
Value Conflict Vs. Mindful Listening
Value conflict originates when two different parties hold different and unique views about a particular subject. Some value conflicts are so strong that resolving them can take quite an effort, seeing that it is from these values that most of us make our decisions. Another reason why it is difficult to resolve is that the majority of value conflicts take their roots from specific beliefs rather than facts.
Value conflicts are linked to mindful listening. When there is a clash of values or beliefs, ensuring mindful listening becomes difficult as opposing parties pay less attention to an opinion that doesn’t fit their beliefs. In contrast, mindful listening, when properly ingrained in the work culture of any business, can help with value conflicts. How? Let’s find out!
Why Mindful Listening Matters
Mindful listening plays lots of roles in the personal life of individuals and also in professional settings. We will look at these two areas where mindful listening matters, and you will see why you need it for your business to be successful.
Mindful Listening in Personal life
Mindful listening has some great benefits in our lives. From increasing empathy an individual shows to boosting and improving self-awareness. When you practice mindful listening, you become more empathetic about another person’s beliefs, thoughts, and opinions. It lets you understand them, which will help with value conflicts.
Aside from increasing the level of empathy, mindful listening can also help with self-awareness. You will notice some personal biases you have without knowing you do. Understanding these biases and being self-aware will allow you to stay mindful while listening to others. Combining these two can help deepen relationships with colleagues, managers, employees, and employers. What great way to resolve value conflicts other than this?
Mindful Listening in Business Setting
Mindful listening plays an important role in the success of any business. Imagine a company where everyone listened to themselves without judging the other. If you can imagine that, then you would have already understood why mindful listening matters for the success of any business. However, let’s look at the individual benefits of mindful listening and how it contributes to business success.
Improving Communication
Mindful listening strengthens and improves employee communication, which is important for business success and growth. It will help teams and employees work together, listen to each other’s thoughts and ideas, and find common ground.
Building Strong Connections
Another reason mindful listening matters is its ability to build strong relationships and connections among colleagues. When colleagues listen to each other mindfully, a strong connection develops, and they begin to understand themselves better.
Boosts Productivity
Another benefit of mindful listening to your business success is its role in increasing productivity among colleagues. Since colleagues listen to themselves and engage in meaningful conversations, value and other conflicts are reduced. This will give room for goals and targets to be reached quicker than when conflicts are the other of the day.
Mindful listening is important for any business willing to grow. Its benefits or rewards are not limited to the above. Mindful listening can help improve a manager’s observational skills since they actually listen. It will also help with team member morale.
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