The year was 1997, and I was wrapping up a year-long assignment as the director of operations for a 4,000 Soldier air assault brigade. That was one of the most challenging jobs I ever had, even though it was 30 years ago. My commander was giving me my end-of-tour counseling, and it was all roses. The compliments made me feel great, but there was no constructive criticism, and nothing to learn and grow from. I decided to push it and challenged him to comment on what he saw as my weaknesses.
combat deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. He also led the military forces supporting FEMA in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and commanded more than 6,000 troops on the Southwest border in support of CBP. He and his wife live on a small ranch outside of Patagonia, Arizona and he is one of five commissioners for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
He paused for awhile and thought about it. He then said: “You are not a good listener.” Wow. I did not expect that. His simple statement caused me to look hard at myself to better understand why he felt that way. Here are some of the things I discovered:
- If somebody had disappointed me in the past or caused me to doubt what they said, I was quick to ignore what they were saying and not pay attention. My weakness of over-judging got in the way of effective listening.
- I was always in a hurry to get things done. I wanted to knock down targets and move on to the next thing. My lack of patience got in the way of effective listening.
- I constantly focused on myself and my responses when somebody else was talking. Instead of actively listening to what they were saying (through both words and body language), I was only thinking about what I was going to say. Even worse, I would cut others off with my response. My internal focus got in the way of effective listening.
Why is listening such an important skill for leaders? The easiest answer is that none of us has the market cornered on good ideas. In my role as a Commissioner for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, I have both a lot of relevant experience (lifelong hunter and angler) and education (degree in wildlife ecology), but my “going in position” is not always where I end up. In the military, I occasionally had to make quick decisions (especially in combat) without a lot of consultation. I learned that even in a crisis, though, I made better decisions if I asked others for options. I had to become a better listener if I wanted to make better decisions.
A recent example is in order, but I ask you, the reader, to be cautious of your judgement. Every state has different conditions and what works in one does not necessarily translate to others. In our state, crossbows are not authorized in “archery only” seasons (they’re permitted for the general and muzzleloader seasons). Previous commissions had made an exception for those with disabilities about 25 years ago and then they made the exceptions even broader about 10 years ago. As a result, we had a lot of abuse: many people were hunting with crossbows who had either never had a disability or who had healed and should not longer be granted an exception. The number of crossbow hunters had grown to the point where it was starting to have a biological impact in some areas.
We felt that a change was in order. I’ve been a bowhunter for more than 50 years (recurves and compounds), and my “going in” opinion was that crossbows did not belong in an archery season. Period. Our Commission uses a public process, though, and I worked hard to listen to all opinions: those of department employees, other commissioners, and the public (both crossbow enthusiasts and those who were not). In the end, my position shifted. I have come to believe that we need to continue to provide opportunities during archery-only seasons for those whose injuries or disabilities make them incapable of drawing back a vertical bow. We modified our rules to limit abuses, but still provide opportunities for those who really need them.
Back to 1997. Feedback is a gift, and I did not want to waste it. I wish I could tell you that I became a great listener over night but that is not the case. In fact, I am still working on it. You can too. Here are some recommendations:
- Try to leave your judgements about what did or did not happen in the past out of the present.
- Dedicate the time to focus on the other person and set aside your “to do” list.
- Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes to see things from their perspective.
- Seek to understand, not to respond.
If you can improve your listening skills, you will build stronger relationships, make better decisions, and become a more effective leader. It takes work to be an effective listener, but if I can improve, you can too.
— Jeff Buchanan, Arizona Game and Fish Commission, Patagonia