ABSTRACT
For many managers, listening often seems more of a luxury than a necessity. As managers rise from junior to more senior positions in an organization, they gradually discover that more and more of their time is spent in interpersonal communication, face-to-face with subordinates, peers and superiors. They are less task oriented, more process oriented. Finding out what others think of an issue, how they view the matter at hand, is frequently useful to a manager. Somehow learning to make listening a more structured, productive activity becomes increasingly important to managers who have the talent and the will to succeed. Becoming an active listener, a reflective, skilled communicator is not easy, but it’s certainly within reach for the average manager. Knowing that it’s possible to become more skilled in this process makes listening one of the central talents that managers must concentrate on early in their careers.
