Listening comes naturally to me. I am an introvert born to two extroverts, so the first people I heard a lot from were my parents. As I entered grade school my habit of listening got me into trouble. My second grade teacher decided to call on me since I never raised my hand to respond to her questions. To her surprise, I had answers! Yes, I was listening.
Hearing what people say was a fundamental part of my career as an academic reference librarian. I conducted reference interviews in order to comprehend the nature of the materials that were sought. This allowed me to direct students and faculty to the best sources of information for their needs.
In leadership roles I used questions along with observations to learn more about those I supervised. Listening to the staff speak about their own strengths and weaknesses, work-styles, task preferences, and areas in which they wanted to experience growth/challenges aided me in choosing the right staffers for each project and for assignments that were part of the ongoing work.
Listening is a cornerstone of my work as a life coach. I need to hear my clients in order to ask them the right questions. I sit with clients as they speak their thoughts aloud to hear and process them. Sometimes they say things that have been on their mind for a long time. In other instances, they hear themselves saying things that they have not considered before. The results can be groundbreaking.
The more I coach, the more it becomes clear that every person has their own life path to explore. Where are you now? Where do you want to be? As a life coach, I am available to hear you and ask questions to support your journey. What would you say if we were both listening to you?
