Listening is an underutilized leadership and relationship building tool. It builds trust and lets people know their perspectives are valued. Though it can be difficult as listening is not perceived as action and other “doing” activities get greater priority.

When constructing a collaborative environment, the objective is to get all parties to participate and the fastest way to get people to clam up is introducing judgement and criticism. Free flowing ideas are the key to creativity in finding root cause or finding competitive advantage. The subtle words you choose can impact the openness of your audience.