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Much writing about leadership focuses on the skills of speaking, writing, questioning, promoting and inspiring, all the active things effective managers can do.
What is overlooked are these passive skills that can be even more critical: observing, listening, and sensing. Good leaders are effective observers. They look closely at the people in the workplace. They see something that is out of place, or out of order. Walking the warehouse, they see dust on cartons that have been there long enough to gather dirt. Seeing trash in the aisle, they question current housekeeping practices.
Sensing might be described as the highest form of observing. Does everything pass the smell test? When you walk through the warehouse with the local manager, are there friendly greetings passed between the boss and the hourly workers? If some observations create a sense of trouble, will you take theListening is easily the most neglected leadership skill. Nearly all of us remember taking courses on effective speaking, how many of us have taken a course on listening? Many leaders are not good listeners. And yet, being a good listener is an extremely important asset for effective leadership, in the warehouse or anywhere else. time to dig deeper?
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