Listen to Your Team: The Power of Valuing Their Voices

Originally published 19 August 2023

When it comes to human interactions, value plays a profound role.

There is the value we place on what someone has to say, but there is also the value a person can feel when they realise someone is genuinely listening to them.

I think those two things are more closely connected than we sometimes recognise.

When leaders commit to listening to their team members, they aren't simply gathering information. They are also demonstrating that the person's experience, knowledge and perspective matter.

The Value of Listening

In health and safety, we often talk about leadership behaviours. We encourage leaders to emphasise the importance of safety and to listen to team members when they raise concerns or identify potential hazards.

But think about what happens during that interaction.

When a team member raises a concern, and their leader genuinely listens, the leader is doing more than acquiring information about a potential problem.

They are demonstrating that the person's contribution has value.

Being heard can make someone feel respected and understood. It can show that their experience is recognised, their concerns are taken seriously, and they have a meaningful part to play in what happens next.

That matters.

Listening Creates a Relationship

Listening shouldn't be a one-way transaction where a leader extracts useful information and then moves on.

It is an exchange.

A team member shares something they have noticed, experienced or thought about. The leader gives that person their attention, tries to understand their perspective and, where appropriate, acts on what they have heard.

Over time, those interactions can influence the relationship between the individual and the organisation.

People who feel their contribution matters are more likely to participate. They may be more willing to raise concerns, offer ideas, question something that doesn't seem right or contribute to solving a problem.

And that creates a positive cycle.

Listening helps people feel valued. Feeling valued encourages contribution. That contribution gives the organisation more opportunities to listen, learn and improve.

Listening Means More Than Hearing

Of course, simply being present while somebody speaks isn't enough.

Genuine listening requires attention.

It means putting distractions aside and allowing someone to finish what they are saying. It means asking questions when you don't understand rather than immediately forming a judgement or response.

Sometimes it means repeating back what you think you have heard to make sure you've understood correctly.

Most importantly, where the conversation requires action, listening needs to be followed by action.

There is little value in repeatedly asking people what they think if nothing ever happens as a result.

And when you've made a commitment, follow up.

Those behaviours demonstrate something important: I didn't just hear you. What you said mattered.

The Ripple Effect of Feeling Valued

The effect doesn't necessarily stop with one conversation.

When people see that raising concerns, sharing ideas and contributing to decisions is taken seriously, it can influence how the wider team communicates.

People can become more willing to participate and collaborate. Different perspectives become available. Problems may surface earlier. Ideas that would otherwise have remained unspoken have an opportunity to be explored.

That benefits the organisation, but it begins with something much simpler.

A person deciding that their voice is worth contributing because experience has shown them that someone will listen.

The Takeaway

Listening is one of the simplest things a leader can do, but that doesn't make it insignificant.

When we genuinely listen to someone, we aren't only receiving information.

We are communicating something in return.

Your experience matters. Your perspective matters. Your contribution matters.

Perhaps that is where the real power of listening lies.