In today’s evolving workplaces, feedback conversations are not only what you say but how well you listen.

Research from Zenger Folkman, involving 3,875 employees globally, confirms something I see in coaching sessions and workshops: leaders who listen first are rated as offering the most honest, helpful and effective feedback.

This finding is both timely and powerful. As work demands shift and teams become more diverse and dispersed, your ability to truly hear what your team is saying (and not saying) has never been more critical.

Often, we believe our feedback is AMAZING! It’s easy to rush in with advice or assume you know what someone needs to hear. However,  the research is clear: when leaders skip over listening and jump straight to offering feedback, their input lands poorly, and trust takes a hit. On the flip side, leaders who pause, ask questions, and seek to understand before offering feedback are seen as more credible, respectful and impactful.

Listening is leadership.

Listening strengthens connection, builds psychological safety, and creates the conditions for feedback to be received, not resisted.

Whether you’re managing a hybrid team, dealing with performance challenges, or trying to build a culture of continuous improvement, developing advanced listening skills is one of the smartest moves you can make as a leader.

Here are two of my favourite books that explore quality listening:

• How to Listen - Oscar Timboli

• The Advice Trap - Michael Bungay Stanier

📌 Tip:
The future of feedback will involve leaders developing advanced listening skills to enhance the quality and impact of the feedback they offer.

I include listening as a key focus in the 1:1 Feedback Coaching for Leaders and Feedback Fitness Workshops. Becoming Feedback Fit means more than just mastering what to say—it’s also about knowing when to stop talking.

Let’s transform your feedback culture from reactive to responsive—and make listening your leadership superpower.

👉 Explore how we can work together.