{"id":18320,"date":"2026-02-19T12:30:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T12:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/19\/ask-sanyin-what-makes-a-listening-tour-meaningful\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T12:30:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T12:30:55","slug":"ask-sanyin-what-makes-a-listening-tour-meaningful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/19\/ask-sanyin-what-makes-a-listening-tour-meaningful\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask Sanyin: What Makes a \u2018Listening Tour\u2019 Meaningful?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Carolyn Geason-Beissel\/MIT SMR | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve just stepped into a new leadership role and was advised to embark on a \u201clistening tour.\u201d I\u2019ve gone out and spent time with different units and functions, but I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s helping. Conversations feel surface-level, and I\u2019m not learning what I need to lead effectively. What am I missing, and how can I make my listening tour meaningful?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Listening is one of the most important leadership skills to master but also among the most difficult. Many of us have been taught to engage in active listening, which involves projecting an image of attentiveness through physical cues like nodding, maintaining eye contact, or restating what was said. This indicates to speakers that we are focused on them, but it can be superficial \u2014 mere information collection. In fact, a narrow focus on information can play into confirmation bias: We end up hearing what matches the assumptions we arrived with.<\/p>\n

If your listening tour isn\u2019t landing, here are three ways to elevate your approach.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

1. Listen for what\u2019s unsaid.<\/strong> Every leader has experienced this moment: You ask a team member a simple question, and their answer feels defensive or off target. You might receive a long, meandering explanation that doesn\u2019t quite address your question.<\/p>\n

In moments like these, listen for more than words, with your eyes as well as your ears. Listen for hesitation, and look for emotion, for what people may be holding back. Finding clues in what\u2019s left unsaid is a core listening skill.<\/p>\n

In their meandering answer, are they actually revealing where processes or communication has broken down, where key resources may be missing, or the real reasons why customers aren\u2019t buying a new product? When there\u2019s silence, don\u2019t try to fill it: Leaders who rush to do that often miss what matters most.<\/p>\n

2. Listen for new thinking.<\/strong> Leaders often go out looking for reassurance that all is well. Instead, listen for dissonance. Listen for the perspective that unsettles you or the data point that contradicts your assumptions.\u00a0Letting go of the assumption that you already know what matters opens you to new ideas but requires comfort with ambiguity.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Remember that it requires courage for employees to offer ideas that may be dissonant with your company\u2019s current strategy; they may be concerned about being seen as dissenters. When you respond with curiosity \u2014 by saying, \u201cTell me more,\u201d for example \u2014 you are demonstrating to creative thinkers that their insights matter and that leaders will take their point of view seriously.<\/p>\n

3. Listen for values.<\/strong> The most powerful listening happens when you tune in to who people are, not just what they do. A simple prompt like \u201cTell me about yourself\u201d can give you insight into what they value most. Listening for values allows you to understand what people hope for and how to help them thrive.<\/p>\n

In all of our working relationships, values are the bridge to trust. And trust, not information, is the real outcome of a successful listening tour.<\/p>\n

Your team isn\u2019t looking for a leader who merely hears them. They\u2019re looking for a leader who understands them. When a leader listens in a way that allows their mind to change, makes space for what\u2019s unsaid, and honors the stories that reveal values, people feel seen. And once people feel seen, they engage, innovate, and trust at a far deeper level.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carolyn Geason-Beissel\/MIT SMR | Getty Images I\u2019ve just stepped into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-graphic-design"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18320\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}