The Art of Listening for Leaders

Victoria Canham • 16 October 2025 • 2 min read

Victoria Canham Consultancy | Leader practising active listening with team during meeting

In leadership, we often talk about communication, but rarely about the skill that underpins it all — listening. True listening is not passive. It is an active, intentional act of leadership that builds trust, psychological safety, and performance.

Why Listening is a Leadership Superpower

When leaders truly listen, they do more than hear words. They notice tone, energy, and what is not being said. This kind of listening creates space for honesty and innovation. It signals to your team, “You matter. Your perspective counts.”

In a world where employees are overwhelmed and underheard, listening becomes a competitive advantage. It transforms culture from compliance to commitment.

The Cost of Not Listening

When leaders fail to listen, people stop speaking up. Ideas are lost, engagement drops, and psychological safety erodes. Over time, silence becomes the norm, and performance suffers.

Listening is not just about being kind — it is about being effective. Teams that feel heard are more resilient, creative, and loyal.

Three Ways to Practise the Art of Listening

1. Be Fully Present

Put away distractions. Make eye contact. Let your team know they have your full attention. Presence is the foundation of trust.

2. Listen to Understand, Not to Respond

Most people listen to reply. Great leaders listen to understand. Ask open questions like, “Tell me more about that,” or “What do you need from me right now?”

3. Reflect and Acknowledge

Summarise what you’ve heard and validate the emotion behind it. A simple, “It sounds like that’s been really challenging for you,” can make someone feel seen and supported.

Listening as a Culture Strategy

When listening becomes part of your leadership DNA, it ripples through the organisation. Meetings become more meaningful, feedback becomes more constructive, and people feel safe to bring their full selves to work.

Listening is not a soft skill. It is a strategic skill that drives performance, retention, and wellbeing.

A Call to Lead Differently

The best leaders are not the ones who speak the most, but the ones who listen the best.

If you want to build a culture where people thrive, start by listening — really listening. Because when people feel heard, they perform stronger, stay longer, and lead happier.

♦️ Hi. I'm Vicki, and I help businesses build high-performing, loyal teams by mastering the employee journey. I partner with leaders to drive tangible change, transforming company culture from a pretty promise on a slide deck into a daily reality. My approach goes beyond outdated HR strategies and gets to the heart of what truly motivates and retains your people.

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Victoria Canham - Performance and People Strategic Partner

Victoria Canham is an ICF-accredited Certified Professional Coach and the founder of Victoria Canham Consultancy. We are a specialist performance consultancy partnering with senior leaders and HR teams to elevate culture, leadership, and employee experience. Rooted in behavioural insight and change expertise, we diagnose what's truly holding performance back, co-creating practical, strategic interventions that drive sustainable business results and build workplaces that work—for people and performance.

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