Leading Effectively e-Newsletter - July 2005 Issue
Identity: A New View for Leading in a Diverse World
Understanding Diversity: Begin By Listening
Martin Luther King Jr. once said that "people fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other." As a leader, the first step to better understanding the diverse identities of your co-workers is to improve communication. And you can begin by active listening.
Active listening is a common technique for enhancing communication in any situation. For managers working through complex situations and relationships, active listening skills can be a lifeline.
"Active listening is critical during times when it is more important to understand than to be understood," says CCL's Michael Hoppe. "If you are venturing into the complex realm of understanding difference and identity - particularly if there are tensions and relationships are severely strained - active listening is where you begin to bridge differences and find common ground."
Active listening involves five skills:
- Being present. Listen closely to what other people are saying, not what you expect them to say. Pay attention to intonation and body language. Avoid the tendency to work out your reply while they talk.
- Reflecting content. Indicate that you are following what is being said. Periodically, clarify or restate the other person's basic ideas and facts by saying, for instance, "If I understand you correctly ..." or "What I think I'm hearing is ..."
- Reflecting feelings. Show that you are tracking the other person's emotions. Reflect those emotions — without judgment — clearly, saying, for example, "You seem to be worried," or "This seems to be important to you."
- Asking clarifying questions. Deepen your understanding of the other person's message and clear up confusion. Ask questions such as, "Can you help me understand this?" or, "Could you elaborate on this?"
- Making positive assertions. Convey your thoughts and feelings and provide feedback in a constructive way. Describe the situation, the behavior and the personal impact. You might say, "During our telephone conversation yesterday afternoon, I heard you say this, and as a result I felt ..."
By practicing these skills, you will learn to go beyond the tendency to immediately judge, evaluate or criticize other people. "As a leader, you cannot afford to ignore or misjudge what's going on around you," says Hoppe. "Active listening allows you to gauge what the issues are and begin to find ways to address them."
Five Key Questions
Active listening helps you understand where others are coming from. But do you know where you're coming from? To understand your identity and how it plays out at work, list the various social identities you see in yourself. Then consider these five questions:
- Of the different social identities I have recognized in myself, which is most central to my "true" self?
- How does my central identity differ from the identities that others use to make judgments about me?
- Which aspects of my central identify make me unique and which aspects are similar to the identities of others in the organization?
- Are there aspects of my central identity that I feel must be kept hidden at work? If so, why, and what are the consequences?
- Which of my social identities is a hot button, eliciting strong emotional responses from others?
You can take the activity a step further by using the questions as a starting point for discussing social identity and difference in your group or organization.
Expert: Michael Hoppe
Title: Enterprise Associate
Relevant publications: Co-author, Communicating Across Cultures; co-author, Managing Across Cultures: A Learning Framework
Career background: Lived and worked throughout Europe before joining CCL
Education: Ph.D., UNC-Chapel Hill; M.S., SUNY-Albany; M.S., University of Munich
