Active Listening In Leadership

In many different instances during leadership workshops, speakers tend to focus on the listening aspect of becoming a leader. However, the simple act of listening is on a completely different polar spectrum compared to the leadership skill of active listening. Active listening is a leadership skill that tends to sound quite simple but is a surprisingly rare characteristic of leaders in today’s world. In terms of HOSA Future Health Professionals, it can be the difference between a chapter that has scattered meetings and a chapter that experiences an exceptional rate of growth. For future health professionals, active listening is a skill and habit that distinguishes efficient communicators with patients, families, and coworkers from those who tend to lack empathy and struggle to build a strong foundation in their professions. Preparing Indiana HOSA members to practice these active listening skills now will train the same “muscles” they will need as future nurses, physicians, therapists, and other healthcare professionals.

Carnegie Mellon University’s civility initiative describes active listening as the act of making a conscious effort to not only hear what someone else is communicating but also understand their words, limit interruptions, continue asking important questions, and give their full attention to the speaker. Later on, psychologists continue to add that incorporating active listening in leadership settings means truly comprehending the emotions and understanding what the speaker is sharing with you. Separately, a communication guide defines this leadership skill as a technique where the leader or listener rephrases or restates what they listened to but in their words so both people can confirm that there is no miscommunication happening and they can reach an agreement. In a quote by Stephen Covey, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand but with the intent to reply.”

Furthermore, research on the leadership and communication skills that help individuals grow consistently shows that stronger listeners and better listening skills are tied to a greater positive correlation to increased trust, better relationships, and more effective team output. A further analysis of workplace setting listening skill adaptations found that the listeners with more focused attention were seen to be associated with increased job performance, quality of relationships, attitudes in the workplace, and even employee well-being. Subsequently, leadership researchers at Zenger Folkman also report the confirmation that listening is seen to bring effectiveness as a behavior that is most strongly linked and correlated in a leader. Proving not only does the action of how you listen affect your total output, but at the same time, it also affects how others perceive you. Whether they believe you are a hard worker who cares for what others have to say is thus proven to be associated with that of the behaviors of one's active listening skills. When people feel as though their leader truly understands what they are saying through improved  listening, they are more likely to share ideas, admit mistakes, and stay engaged, exactly what HOSA officers should want from their chapter’s members.

In the future of healthcare, the stakes of whether individuals can adapt these leadership skills become even higher. A review of communication within health services such as hospitals, veterinary clinics, and others found that good communication affects the quality of care, patient satisfaction, and health outcomes and helps build the strong empathetic relationship that patients value in that patient and provider dynamic. Put simply, patients who feel heard are more likely to trust their providers and follow the careful and thought-out instructions set by their caregiver.

So what does active listening actually look like in day-to-day leadership? First, listeners must give their full and undivided attention to the speaker. Concentrate on what the speaker is communicating and avoid those multitasking habits, listening intently to the message rather than what you expect to hear. Second, utilize simple techniques to be engaged in the conversation such as paraphrasing words or instructions through repeating back, in your own words, what you think the speaker meant or said. Counseling and leadership resources and studies describe the methods outlined as central skills involved in active listening that shows the listener you are both on the same page and that you value their time and perspective. Third, and most importantly, respond with empathy to the requests or information received by other people. Such a simple and humane task seems to be and tends to be overlooked by many individuals of today’s world; however, this is such an underrated part of the active listening journey. Ultimately, active listening is a subtle approach to leadership. It may not require all the fancy techniques or materials of other characteristics like public speaking, microphones, or stage presence, but regardless, it is one of the most powerful ways to lead right now and to prepare for the responsibilities of the healthcare field of tomorrow.

Thomas Bezza: State Representative (2025-2026)