Listening, A Lost Art

Stephen F. Fusco

My formal lawyer training taught me to think ahead and prepare for what is coming down the line.  While this is a good skill in a courtroom, leading with a mindset towards the answer is an ineffective strategy.  I recently read an article entitled Learning to Listen by Safir (2017).  The article identified four different leadership styles that drive certain types of action.  The peacekeeper approaches leadership much like Switzerland.  The focus is on relationships, bending to the loudest voices and avoiding hard conversations (Safir, 2017).  The manager is much like a robot and keeps things running smoothly while also complying with all directives and mandates (Safir, 2017).  The driver is the third type of management style and a leader who embodies this type of focus has a strong sense of urgency and a leads with a decisive style (Safir, 2017).  Prior to reading this article, I would put myself in the driver category.  While there are pieces of the other two management styles in my approach, I am largely motivated as a "driver."

While Safir (2017) acknowledges there is a time and place for all four types of leadership, she argues for a dynamic shift in focus to the listening leader style for five major reasons:

1. "Listening helps us tune in to dominant narratives and shift them" (Safir, 2017).  As educational leaders, we must constantly consider the dominant narrative and challenge those narratives to advance education.  If we as educational leaders wish to advocate for change, we must change the discussion and offer a counter-narrative.  The only way to accomplish this is to stop and listen to the dominant narrative.
2. "Listening helps us keep our finger on the pulse of complex change" (Safir, 2017).  As agents of change, we must continually adjust the conversation to address the prevailing moods.  Without taking time to listen to the conversation, we miss the highly nuanced issues that drive complex change.
3. "Listening helps leaders stay true to their values in the face of pressure" (Safir, 2017).  As a leader, staying true to my values is difficult especially as pressure mounts and the "fight" seems like a losing battle.  Stopping to listen allows me the chance to reflect and return to the purpose that drives my desire to be an educational leader.
4. "Listening helps leaders model humanity and compassion in the face of trauma" (Safir, 2017).  If I could only take away one reason to engage in the listening leader style, this would be my one take-away.  While individuals may disagree on the proper approach for educational reform, we must all recognize that we are human beings that are bound together by the common thread of humanity.  We must lead with a mindset towards building bridges, not tearing them down.  This requires constant humility and compassion towards those who differ from our belief system.
5. "Listening helps us reimagine data and bring student voice into the equation" (Safir, 2017).  Simply put, listening helps us give a human dimension to the conversation.  Rather than looking at data and numbers, we frame the conversation in a manner than offers a real life perspective to the issues that drive us to become educational leaders.

As I continue my journey as an educational leader, I will carry Safir's (2017) recommendations with me.  In those moments when I am inclined to speak first, I hope to pause, listen and formulate a compassionate and empowering narrative to drive educational reform.

References

Safir, S.  (2017).  Learning to listen.  Educational Leadership, 74(8), 16-21.