1 extremely valuable quality of CEO Tim Cook, anyone who wants to go far can learn

One of the most remarkable business lessons I ever learned took place in a conference room in Cupertino, California. The “instructor” is Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple.

I was there as part of the executive team at Adobe, during a top-level meeting with Apple’s leadership. My role in the meeting is quite small, so I have plenty of opportunities to listen and observe everyone in the room carefully.

Tim Cook surprised me. He is humble and sincere, spending most of his time listening, noting, and nodding. Whenever someone asked him a question, Tim would forward it to the moderator in charge of that particular area.

Tim always understood exactly what was going on in the meeting. He can easily dominate the entire conversation – every time Tim speaks, the room falls into an eager silence, even though within an hour and a half that day he spoke only 20 words.

What Tim Cook showed that day was LISTENING and that is what I believe every manager or leader should have.

People who actively listen to others often leave a positive impression because they show genuine interest and engagement. Such people don’t push people and they actively spend their time trying to understand each other by asking meaningful, retrospective questions. When done properly, listening helps people feel respected rather than controlled.

Tim Cook has proven that listening is an important art for every interaction, not just for face-to-face meetings. 

How to listen more actively?

1. Start with purpose to understand

Active listening with the intention of “getting” helps me focus my attention in important conversations. We’ve all probably been in meetings where nobody seemed to be listening to each other and everyone was just waiting for their turn to say something. In such situations, most of us find that our problems are not heard or understood.

It’s not always easy to connect and communicate without being the center of the discussion, especially for the person in charge. Listening and understanding will help ensure the needs of the team are clear and the best ideas for solutions never go unnoticed. Listening will ensure focus and help leaders make the best decisions at the time of speaking. 

2. Give others a chance to shine

A good listener knows that they don’t have to be at the center of every story. In seeking to understand challenges and find the best solutions, a leader also gives others the opportunity to grow and shine.

The job of a leader at any company is to do whatever it takes to help their employees succeed. Listening from superiors makes employees feel recognized, which in turn leads to better ideas, more competent organizations, and greater potential for success.

Leadership is just a person, and you can’t have all the answers. Tim Cook is well aware of this, he lets experts on a particular subject answer questions that belong to their expertise instead of wanting to be the center of attention. Tim let talent shine in their field. That’s a great plus.

3. Encourage helpful feedback 

At BambooHR, we always ask our employees what they can do to improve their work experience, and we get a lot of different answers.

As leaders, we have a responsibility to delve into all of the feedback and diversity of thought to create policies that improve our employees’ lives. Each year, I visit hundreds of employees in person to seek their input, and listening is an important tool for getting to the heart of problems and developing actionable solutions.

Employee happiness is also an area that I need to pay attention to. Active listening helps leaders understand their employees’ real concerns and commit to addressing those challenges, while having a much larger impact on employee engagement.

Listening does not mean becoming an invisible or weak leader. Although he may speak less than anyone else in the room, all problems are resolved with great satisfaction, thanks to Tim’s listening. 

Leaders can build strong companies when they find ways to “understand” instead of “just guide”, give others time to shine, and encourage people to share feedback so that they can provide solutions to existing problems. Incorporating these methods of listening into every meeting and interaction will leave a strong impression and show your care and concern for the success of others.

The author of the article is Brad Rencher, CEO of BambooHR, the industry’s leading cloud storage software provider, dedicated to providing talent for the strategic development of human resources.

Source: According to Entrepreneur