Have you ever questioned the younger generation’s ability to listen effectively? If you have, you’re certainly not alone.
I hear it all the time from parents, teachers, and coaches: “Kids just don’t listen!”
But before you find fault in the younger generation’s perceived shortcomings, consider the possibility that listening may not come as easily to them as it did for previous generations.
If you came of age during an era that embraced the notion that children should be seen and not heard, you were regularly exposed to what was tantamount to listening training.
The only choice for you to be politely involved in the affairs of adults was to listen. You weren’t supposed to speak up or do things that would call attention to yourself in the company of adults. The standard taught you to listen.
As subsequent generations have moved away from the idea of being seen and not heard, they have lost some of the natural training created by the expectation. Children are no longer accustomed to focusing on listening.
In fairness, the change has arguably been beneficial in other ways for the younger generation. They have developed a willingness to be more assertive and to question the status quo, which has led to some of our society’s greatest innovations. It’s also led to the exposure of abusive behaviors that previously went undiscussed.
While those things have been good, they don’t replace the continued need for effective listening skills—especially when it comes to the functionality of teams.
Good teammates must be good listeners.
The solution to this disconnect doesn’t necessarily call for a return to the practices of previous generations nor for us to consider lowering our standards. It just means that, as adults, we need to be more creative with including alternative forms of listening training into our methodology.
We have to strategically teach the skill of listening and get away from the presumption that it should come naturally, as it did for the kids from previous generations.
In the spirit of sharing (Because that’s what good teammates do!) here’s an article I published a while back about Ten Ways to Be a Better Listener.
If you’re having a problem with the listening skills of someone on your team, sharing that article with them may a good place to start.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
