One of the most important roles of leadership is listening — really listening. Empathetic listening. Active listening. Unfortunately, the voice you occasionally get to hear is that of whining.
As difficult as it may seem, as a leader, you’re to empathize and listen. Consider the story of Job who whined to God about His circumstances. God patiently listened before setting the record straight such that Job had no rebuttal.
James 1:19 says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
Your job as a listener is to separate emotion from the issues. Your goal is to uncover issues when they present themselves before they become serious problems.
Let your employees whine, and learn to listen through the whining for underlying issues that require your attention.
Today’s Integrity Moment was adapted with permission from the writings of Philip Struble. Check out his blog at http://zebedeeandsonsfishingco.com/
