Team Leaders! Something to send your team this week and keep them at the forefront of importance in ministry: (comes from the book Habitudes by Dr. Tim Elmore) Let’s be amazing listeners this week! Leaders seek to understand the perspectives of others before they communicate their own points. They show empathy and ask good questions. As a result, they earn the right to be heard. Without questions, the greatest emotional need of people today is the need to be understood. And to understand, we must listen. Leaders have to get this. If they don’t, it doesn’t matter how intelligent, gifted, or charismatic they are. They will ultimately fail to connect with others and end up sabotaging their true potential. Many of us have poor listening habits: 1. Judgmental listening – jumping to conclusions about the speaker. 2. Selective listening – only hearing what you want to hear. 3. Impatient listening – finishing other people’s sentences, interrupting them. 4. Egocentric listening – thinking about what you’ll say as others are talking. 5. Patronizing listening – pretending to listen, but really off in your own world. 6. Stubborn listening – listening, but not open – your mind is already made up. Some habits to improve and use this week in your ministry: 1. Show empathy – Empathy is about entering into another person’s situation. It involves understanding how others feel and showing that you genuinely care. When we listen empathetically to others, they tend to become receptive to what we have to say in return. 2. Ask good questions – Have you learned to poke and prod during your conversations with others? Or, do you make assumptions and jump to conclusions? How you answer says a lot about your listening ability. Many leaders are guilty of jamming stuff down people’s throats because they believe they’re supposed to have answers, not questions. They never ask, afraid they’ll appear weak. But asking good questions doesn’t make you weak; well-placed questions help you connect with people and understand where they’re really coming from. It’s a sign of strength. Mark 12:13-17 Proverbs 18:2 Be Jesus this week! -David Hopper
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 17:46:00 +0000