Sometimes it is good for the teacher to become the student.  I am taking a yoga teacher certification course and in the first part of our training we focused on observing and listening.  This is a good lesson for leaders – talk less, listen more. By focusing on listening, leaders can discover what their employees want and need, and they can also uncover innovative ideas and hidden problems.\n\nIf you want to improve your listening skills – practice.  Get a partner and set a timer for three minutes and allow them to speak.  As the listener, you should not make say anything verbally or use nonverbal ques like facial expression.   When the time is up, repeat back to the person what you heard them say.  Ask questions like, “Did I miss anything?” “Is there anything you would like to add?”  Then switch roles.\n\nTry this exercise with other people and perhaps expand the time to 4 then 5 minutes.  It is not easy to sit quietly and listen.  In our society we are used to affirming what people are saying and can easily hijack a conversation by jumping in before the person has finished their thought or idea.  You might be amazed by what you hear if you actually stop long enough to listen.