Listening Leaders Archived Edition

April 18, 2007

LISTENING FAVOR FREEDOM & REQUIRE RESPONSIBILITY

Listening Leaders® favor freedom and require responsibility.

Listening Leaders® revel in the fact that freedom of speech and responsibility of listening travel hand-in-hand. Recent media events should remind citizens across the land that freedom of speech remains one of the great blessings of freedom lovers everywhere.

Reflection over the repugnant and thoughtless comments of Don Imus and the resulting fallout should remind leaders everywhere that every speaker’s freedom also calls for individual listener’s responsibility. For as was noted in our July 12, 2007 Listening Leaders® Newsletter, all citizens of the United States have been gifted with the protections of the “Declaration of Independence” and the “Bill of Rights.” Thus, everyone is guaranteed the freedoms of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of the right to assemble peaceably, and freedom to petition the government for the redress of grievances. As all citizens of the United States are guaranteed enviable personal freedoms, the importance of individual listening responsibilities is heightened.

In 1888 Nietzsche best captured the relationship of individual freedom and responsibility when he wrote, “Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves.” In the world of “free speech” such responsibility rests with both speakers and listeners. Moreover, as Golden Circle Listening Leaders® discovered long ago, the ultimate responsibility resides in the attitudes and actions of responsible listeners.

First, and most important, Listening Leaders® relish the base value of freedom everywhere. They unequivocally understand that without freedom, the opportunities and responsibilities of listening are meaningless. The lack of freedom robs individual listeners and societies in many ways.

Second, gifted listeners recognize freedom of speech is enhanced dramatically by the skilled actions of responsible listeners. Skilled listeners recognize that foul mouthed and repugnant speakers reside throughout the land. Unfortunately, they walk amongst us. Moreover, gifted listeners realize society is also inhabited by a multitude of bigoted and mean spirited citizens, each of whom hold the right to free speech. As a consequence, Listening Leaders® must actively assume the responsibility of deciding who they listen to and how they choose to respond. For as the Roman statesman, Appius Caecus so clearly stated, “Each man is the architect of his own fate.”

Third, effective Listening Leaders® realize that as, “Words have no meaning─ people have meaning,” no one can demean anyone who chooses not to be demeaned. Repugnant speakers can be turned off and tuned out. Bigoted speakers and the expressed thoughts of stupid people can be ignored. Hurtful comments can be dismissed for freedom of expression does not automatically require listeners to listen.

Perhaps the repugnant and profane bigoted speakers throughout the world will have less to say when responsible listeners choose to lead by not listening. For when the audience disappears, the theatre will close.

Responsible listeners will hasten the closing.

LISTENING LEADER KNOWLEDGE NUGGET: Listening Leaders® revel in responsibility.

Although responsible leaders know the assumption of responsibility always rewards the present, they know it also rewards the future. Modeling listening responsibility provides the power of inviting responsibility of those they lead. Listening Leaders® are vital “Bridge Builders” who concern themselves in shaping the responsibility of listening to tomorrow’s leaders.

Will Allen Dromgoole’s poem, “The Bridge Builder” illustrates everyone’s responsibility to both the present and the future.

An old man, going a lone highway, Came, at the evening, cold and gray, To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide, Through which was Flowing a sullen tide. The old man crossed in the twilight dim; The sullen stream had no fears for him; But he turned, when safe on the other side, And built a Bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim , near, “You are wasting strength with building here; Your journey will end with the ending day; You never again must pass this way; You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide─ Why build you the bridge at the eventide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head: “Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said, “There followeth after me today A youth, whose feet must pass this way. This chasm, that has been naught to me, To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be. He, too, must cross in the twilight dim; Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.”

Today’s responsible listeners will provide the model for tomorrow’s responsible listeners.

LISTENING LEADER TIP OF THE WEEK: Building responsibility builds bridges for those who follow.

GOLDEN CIRCLE LISTENING LEADERS QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

Responsibility is like a string we can only see the middle of. Both ends are out of sight ~ William McFee
Responsibility is the first step in responsibility ~ W.E.B. DuBois
We have confused the free with the free and easy ~ Adlai Stevenson
The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion ~ Edmund Burke
Almost nobody means precisely what he says when he declares, “ I’m in favor of free speech” ~ Heywood Broun

A LISTENING LEADER GIGGLE:

Reliable Ping shared a story that illustrates both ends of the responsibility spectrum.

With the special glow of young couples in love, a young woman brought her fiancé home to meet her parents. Following dinner, the young ladies mother asked her husband to find out more about the young man, so the father invited the young man onto the porch, and asked: “So tell me, what are your plans?”

The young man responded,” I am a Torah scholar and I will study.” “Hmmm,” replied the father. “That is admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in, as she's accustomed to?" "I will study," the young man replied, "and God will provide for us."

"And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?" asked the father. "I will concentrate on my studies," the young man answered, "God will provide for us." "And children?" asked the father. "How will you support children?" "Don't worry, sir, God will provide," replied the fiancé. The conversation proceeded like this, and each time the father asked another responsibility related question, the young idealist insisted that God would provide.

Later, when the young girl’s mother asked her husband, "Well how did it go, Honey?" The father answered, "He has no job and he has no plans, but the good news is he thinks I'm God.

LISTENING LEADERS KUDOS

Congratulations to Mary Brainerd, CEO and her supporting cast of medical professionals at HealthPartners, Inc. Headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota, HealthPartners employees place great focus on practicing the responsibility of listening. Celebrating 50 years of outstanding patient service, HealthPartners has been named one of America’s top 50 health plans by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, they received the prestigious Customer Care Award for top rated service by the National Research Corporation and the 2006 American Medical Group Association Acclaim Award for outstanding patient care. We salute all responsible listeners at HealthPartners and challenge health care leaders everywhere to add responsible listening to their stated daily Mission.

BECOME CERTIFIED TO TEACH LISTENING LEADERSHIP IN YOUR ORGANIZATION.

You will become fully equipped to deliver a unique and proven Workshop that provides practical and measurable results. For certification details, go to www.ListeningLeaders.com

ORDER YOUR “LISTENING LEADERS WORKSHOP ‘IN A BOX’.

You don't have to wait for the next live Listening Leaders® Workshop! The entire workshop is in a format that you can take at your own pace in the comfort of your own office or home. For details, go to www.ListeningLeaders.com

WE ARE LISTENING and invite your action

Together, we can change the listening attitudes, skills, and knowledge of leaders throughout the world. We appreciate and invite your assistance in expanding our listening leader’s connections. Eight simple steps in advancing this important movement include:

Take responsibility today….and every day.

Send us your listening leader insights, examples and stories.

Start a Listening Leaders Reading and Discussion Group. Invite your Librarian to purchase our Award winning LISTENING LEADER book.

As meeting, conference, and convention attendees spend the bulk of their time listening, please let others know of our availability to Keynote Conventions and customize Listening Leader Workshops.

Invite us to identify specific needs for listening development of leaders in your organizations.

Ask about our proven listening leader training programs and our customized in-house train-the-trainer strategies and our new Certification program.

We can help, we are committed, and we are listening.

Listen, Lead On & Make Today Count! – Manny & Rick

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LISTENING LEADERS: THE TEN GOLDEN RULES
TO LISTEN, LEAD & SUCCEED

By Dr. Lyman K. Steil
& Dr. Richard K. Bommelje

Publisher: Beaver’s Pond Press
(ISBN 1-59298-073-2)

A pioneering book that directly connects listening with leadership.Based on more than 50 collective years of work with listening leaders throughout the world, Dr. Steil and Dr. Bommelje have created 10 practical, proven, and priceless rules to enhance everyone's listening and leadership success. Although outstanding leaders are outstanding listeners, most leaders have neglected the development of their listening attitudes, skills and knowledge.

“This is the most significant book ever written on listening and leadership and will profit leaders at all levels in all types of organizations and enterprises.” Dr. Ralph Nichols, Father of the Field of Listening

ORDER YOUR COPY at www.ListeningLeaders.com or www.amazon.com

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Dr. Lyman K. (Manny) Steil
25 Robb Farm Road
St. Paul, MN 55127
651-483-3597
LKS@ListeningLeaders.com

Dr. Richard K. (Rick) Bommelje
8530 Amber Oak Dr
Orlando, FL 32817
407-679-7280
RKB@ListeningLeaders.com

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