By Jen Lachman, Lachman Consulting

On September 25, 27 funders and philanthropic leaders from across the country gathered in Chicago for a daylong training as part of Exponent Philanthropy’s inaugural Coaching for Effective Philanthropy program.

The training began with the most important coaching skill, which has the potential to transform any leaders’ impact:

Listening.

I can hear you saying, “Really? Listening can transform my leadership?”

I know. It’s a bold statement. But think about this for a second…

Have you ever worked with someone who was a really great listener? Someone who, when spending time with you, made you feel completely heard and understood? What was it like to work with him or her?

And how about someone who didn’t listen to you or others at all? Someone who, perhaps, was so busy multitasking or making a mental to-do list instead of listening to whom and what was right in front of them. What was it like to work with that person?

As a philanthropic leader, deeply listening to others will help you:

• Learn who your grantees are and what they and their clients truly need
• Understand and support your colleagues in a much more powerful way
• Inspire others to do their best work for you and your foundation
• Cultivate connected relationships that are necessary to be an effective leader

But don’t just take it from me. Lots of experts have researched and proven how impactful deep listening can be:

• A recent NPR Ted Radio Hour featured Julian Treasure, a sound expert, who explains how conscious listening creates understanding and shares 5 practical exercises that will help you become a better listener.

• Google conducted a study, which Harvard Business Review found important enough to write about, to discover what sets apart its highly effective managers from average ones. They found that the single most important managerial competency is coaching, and the core skill of coaching is deep listening.

• Stephen Covey includes listening as one of his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and explains how you can use empathic listening to more deeply connect and collaborate with others.

Imagine what would be different if you were able to bring a higher quality of listening to your grantees, coworkers, and partners. 

Why not start right now?

Today, tomorrow, and for the next week, set an intention of deeply listening to your coworkers… your board members… your grantees… and every person you interact with. And every time you go unconscious in your listening (it happens to all of us!), simply notice that you’ve disconnected and focus right back in on the person with whom you’re speaking.

As you practice deeper listening, we’d love to hear from you! In the comments section below, let us know how your listening journey is going. What are you noticing? What helps you to listen deeply to others? What gets in the way? And what practical tips and exercises are supporting you to become a better listener and more effective leader?

Jen Lachman is an executive coach who supports mission-driven leaders and organizations to act with greater purpose, authenticity, and impact. You can sign up to receive her free emails and learn how you can become a stronger and more effective philanthropic leader.