Why leaders need to invest in listening for their internal comms

We live in a world full of noise with emails, meetings, instant messages, updates, dashboards — the flow of communication in modern organisations is relentless. Leaders are encouraged to be visible, to share their vision, to cascade messages, and to be the face of change but somewhere in this constant talking, one of the most powerful skills in leadership often gets overlooked: listening.

The myth of leadership as talking

For decades, leadership has been associated with authority, direction, and speech. Think of the archetypal CEO, where they’re standing in front of a crowd, delivering a rousing address about the future. There’s certainly a place for that, but the leaders who inspire real trust and long-term commitment are not the ones who talk the most. They are the ones who listen the best.

We spoke with listening and leadership expert, Howard Krais, about the way listening shifts the balance of communication. He noted how it shows that leadership is not a one-way broadcast, but a conversation and when people feel they are part of that conversation, the impact on engagement, motivation, and innovation is profound.

Hearing versus listening

It’s easy to confuse hearing with listening. Hearing is passive where you’re registering sound, nodding politely, or sitting through an employee survey without acting on the results. Listening is active and requires curiosity, presence, and genuine respect for the person speaking. True listening means putting aside distractions, silencing your own mental ‘rebuttals,’ and focusing fully on what the other person is saying. It’s about asking questions to dig deeper, checking your understanding, and demonstrating that the conversation matters to you.

So when leaders make that shift, employees notice because they feel respected and valued. It directly influences a person’s engagement and their willingness to contribute.

Why listening matters in organisations

A culture of listening goes far beyond individual conversations because it sets the tone for how an organisation treats its people. When employees believe their voices matter, they are more likely to speak up with ideas, share concerns early, and collaborate to solve problems.

On the other hand, when listening is missing, people quickly disengage and they stop offering suggestions, stop challenging poor decisions, and eventually, they stop caring. The cost of that silence can be enormous with missed opportunities, in higher turnover, and in reduced trust.

Listening also plays a critical role during times of change. When people feel uncertain, anxious, or resistant, leaders often try to counteract with more communication. Think more town halls, more emails, more presentations, but in those moments, what people need most is to be heard. To share their worries, to ask their questions, and to feel their perspective matters. So, how can we practice better listening?

How leaders can practice better listening

Like any skill, listening takes practice. The good news is that it doesn’t require elaborate systems or expensive training, just intention. Here are some practical ways leaders can start listening better today:

• Ask better questions:
  Avoid yes/no prompts and instead invite people to share more: “What do you think would make this process easier?” or “How do you feel about the changes we’ve introduced?”

• Pause before responding:
  Silence can feel uncomfortable, but it gives people space to think and speak more freely.

• Reflect and play back:
  Summarise what you’ve heard,  not word for word, but in essence, to show you’ve understood and value the input.

• Follow through:
  Listening without action is worse than not listening at all. If you can act on feedback, do it. If you can’t, explain why. Transparency builds trust.

• Model listening for others:
  When leaders demonstrate active listening, it signals to the entire organisation that everyone’s voice matters.

Listening is a power skill

There’s a misconception that listening is a “soft skill”, as in it’s something nice to do if you have time. In reality, listening is one of the hardest, most impactful skills a leader can master. It requires humility, patience, and a willingness to put aside your own agenda, but the payoff is enormous. 

Listening fosters innovation, strengthens relationships, reduces conflict, and creates a culture where people feel safe to contribute. In a business environment where talent and trust are the most valuable assets, that’s not just a nice-to-have, it’s essential.

Leadership isn’t about who speaks the loudest. It’s about who listens the most deeply. So, the next time you walk into a meeting, resist the urge to fill the silence with your voice. Instead, focus on how you can make others feel truly heard.

The leaders who listen don’t just gather information, they earn loyalty, unlock ideas, and build the kind of workplaces where people genuinely want to belong.