LEARN-ABILITY IN LEADERSHIP (PART III)

In a bid to LEARN, the leaders must cultivate a number of Active-Processes.

A.   LISTENING: This is the first process and activity in learning. It is said that every good conversation starts with good listening, and every good relationship starts with good listening. In the words of the International On-Air Personality; Larry King – “I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening”. Listening is both a conscious and sub-conscious activity involving the eyes, the ears, the nose, hands, the tongue and the mind. Can the eyes, the nose, the hands or the tongue or the mind be used for listening? Yes. Listening is basically the Active-Process of ‘Paying attention to’ whatever is being assimilated. The eyes are used to listen to visual statements and these statements range from graphical statements, pictorial statements, gestures and signs, drawings, writings and inscriptions. With the eyes, the gaze and visual attention is focused on an object or entity in order to learn about it, of it, or from it. The nose is used to listen to perceive an odour, scent, aroma, fragrance etc. It is used to pay attention in order to determine or know the scent or odour or fragrance of an entity (object/thing, person, place/environment etc.). The tongue is used to pay attention to the sense of the taste, the hands used to pay attention to the sense of touch and feeling, and the mind used to pay attention to the resource or resources being used. Every leader or aspiring leader must understand that most of the human senses are to be used for listening. Even when the leader has great ideas, they cannot amount to anything if the leader does not understand him/herself, the environment or terrain S/He will be operating in and the people in the environment, S/He is bound to fail. No matter the hype the leader gets, no matter the charisma, no matter the support, if time is not taken to carefully learn; listening with the eyes, the nose, the hands, the mind and understand with the heart, then the “dynasty” is bound to crumble with time.

a.     Hearing and Listening: Many times people confuse hearing and listening together, but, the truth is that a person may hear what is being said or what he/she is being told but may never have paid adequate attention to what was being said; the content and context. Hearing is usually accidental, involuntary, easy and effortless while listening on the other hand is focused, voluntary and intentional. Listening is a process, the process through which a person responds intellectually and emotionally. Hearing is Passive process while listening is an Active process that involves all the senses and the mind.