There is great power in listening. The ability to connect both personally and professionally with people and build successful relationships depends on deliberate, attentive listening. And yet, formal instruction on effective listening is rarely even touched on at school.

Lorna Dueck, journalist, broadcaster and CEO of Crossroads and YES TV joins us on this Listen to Lead episode, where we explore the hallmarks of powerful listening skills, notably in leadership positions.  Lorna explains that at the forefront is a genuine sense of curiosity, a critical component of learning at every age.

Next, she describes how there are two obstacles leaders must overcome-the ability to put aside a big ego and the time factor. The first requires humility and respect in place of ego, imperative to engage with empathy, while the time factor demands focus with no sense of distraction.

As our conversation moves on, we touch on the importance of listening for non-verbal cues, repetition as a tool for emphasis of vision and direction-and the importance of "cultural intelligence," or consciousness, to understand differences in communication meaning and styles.

Listening is an opportunity to gather information and insights. When organizations truly listen to employees as well as customers, and are alert to market trends, success follows. Lorna leaves us with a reminder of three magic words, "help me understand..."

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