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00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Welcome to Your Morning Boost, your daily leadership advice to help you lead your school community.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:09 Brought to you by AWB Education and sponsored by Grundmeyer Leader Services,
00:00:10 --> 00:00:14 where together we are transforming education, one leader at a time.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 Now here's your host, Adam Bush.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 Unfortunately, there is many a moment in time where I catch out of the blue
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 that my spouse just asked me, were you listening?
00:00:24 --> 00:00:29 I want to reply with, um, you know, it was fourth down and point at the TV,
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 but of course, the happy wife, happy life stuff takes precedence,
00:00:32 --> 00:00:37 so I usually hope I can guess right and spit out some nonsense that might make sense.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:42 Of course, even when I might be right, it doesn't hide the fact that she already
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 knew the answer to her question. I wasn't listening.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:50 Even if I was hearing her, I certainly wasn't actually listening to her.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 There's a subtle but huge difference in the true meaning of those two words.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:59 Now, most of us likely have many an opportunity to showcase our hearing or listening
00:00:59 --> 00:01:00 skills throughout our day at school.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:04 Are you aware at all times of which one you are actually doing?
00:01:05 --> 00:01:11 Is someone talking to you, and are you hearing them, or are you listening to what they are saying?
00:01:11 --> 00:01:15 It's very possible that either is perfectly acceptable based on the situation.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:20 The catch is we really need to be able to recognize when listening is vital to that moment.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:25 Then, are we a good listener anyway? Someone who is really good at coaching
00:01:25 --> 00:01:30 adults has a knack for waiting until the right moment to provide some feedback
00:01:30 --> 00:01:34 or guidance that will help the person being coached find the solution they're looking for.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 But this only comes with excellent listening skills.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 This means that the coach is taking in what the person is saying,
00:01:41 --> 00:01:45 processing what they are saying, sometimes clarifying or paraphrasing what they
00:01:45 --> 00:01:50 are saying all before in their own head, they are processing their answer.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:55 Once we start thinking about what we're going to say next, or our solution we're
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 going to present, we actually stop actively listening.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:02 Our brains are just not able to continue to process what is coming in while
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 we are processing what we are about to spit back out.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:09 A famous Dalai Lama quote that has always meant something to me says,
00:02:09 --> 00:02:12 When you talk, you are only repeating what you know, but if you listen,
00:02:13 --> 00:02:14 you may learn something new.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 I think this applies in our daily work more than we probably recognize.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 As leaders, we are tasked with having answers all of the time,
00:02:22 --> 00:02:26 and many of us see not having an answer, and especially not having an answer
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 right away, as a sign of weakness.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:33 But honestly, not being able to actively listen may be a true weakness.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 We can never understand the complexity of a situation if we do not take time
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 to listen to and investigate all of the parts of the situation.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 The answer will come in time, but only once we understand the problem.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 Are we listening to understand?
00:02:47 --> 00:02:51 Or are we just hearing what they are saying? You have been listening to Your
00:02:51 --> 00:02:56 Morning Boost by AWB Education in partnership with Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:02:56 --> 00:03:01 You can find out more about our services by clicking on the links in the description.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:06 Remember, you are doing this vital job that only a few can do.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:10 So until next time, thank you for your service to your community.