Listen for Understanding

Apr 1

Written By Kaleidoscope Management Group

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Spring has sprung! The tulips are in full bloom and so are we. I hope you are feeling the sense of renewal symbolized by the cherry blossom trees and other short-lived yet jaw-droppingly beautiful blooms that this season brings. But if you’re not, don’t despair. One of my all-time favorite psychologists Adam Grant has a name for that feeling. More about that here.

This month’s reflection is on listening. Listening is one of the core elements of our performance management framework at KMG, which we call LEGUP. It sounds easy enough to be a good listener. And yet. I often have to stop and ask myself: am I deeply listening? To my clients, my team, my husband, my kids. Like really listening. The truth is that I could definitely do better. It would require me to slow down, which is not my forte. According to Valarie Kaur, a civil rights leader, faith leader, filmmaker, lawyer, author, and innovator, “Deep listening is an act of surrender. We risk being changed by what we hear.” Whoa. Kaur recently published a book, “See No Stranger”, described by critics as “a beautifully-written, personal, and urgent call for the revolutionary love our country and our world so desperately need.” I am grateful to the KMG team member who put Kaur on my radar. She is a force to watch, whether you want to level up your listening or not.

So last month, in an effort to listen for understanding, we surveyed our team as to who was ready to return to the office. I was pleasantly surprised at the results of the survey. As a result, this month, we returned to CIC in a hybrid model. Looking forward to what else I will learn if I can surrender and risk being changed by what I hear. Happy Spring (and Earth Day)!

Fondly,