Under the heading of full disclosure – I am a great admirer of Grant! What I find most appealing about Grant was his humility and lack of pretense. Grant was not a top student at West Point; many of his classmates were more gifted academically and they were projected to advance much more quickly through the ranks upon graduation. However, as the Civil War pressed on, Grant impressed President Abraham Lincoln with his ability to rally his troops and lead them aggressively against a host of Confederate generals that had been handing the Union forces loss after loss. So…what skill set did Grant possess that led to his success?
I came across an article entitled: Silent in many Languages: Valuing people through listening by Col. C.K.Hyde. His article was published September 2, 2009. Here are a few lines from the article that I found interesting; “He was not flashy, physically imposing or charismatic like many of his predecessors at the head of the United States forces. Instead, it was said of him that “he could be silent in several languages.” “General Grant’s success as a leader can be attributed to many things, including an unfailing commitment to win, but the attribute I would like to focus on was his ability to listen.” Hyde goes on to write, “General Grant had many diverse people around him, including the energetic General William Tecumseh Sherman. He got the most out of them because he valued their contributions to the Union and he communicated their value by listening.”
So in looking at the thoughts of Col. Hyde, what can we learn about leadership from Grant? It seems fairly clear that great leaders do the following:
- Great leaders take time to listen and learn from their subordinates. If a leader thinks he/she has all the answers, there is no need for a “chain of command”. Grant understood the need to listen first so he could properly see the issues and opportunities.
- Great leaders are approachable! If you work for someone that thinks he/she has all the answers, do yourself a favor – find another boss or another job!
- Silence is a tool when trying to understand what is being communicated. It is not necessary to have a quick response to every issue. People appreciate the fact that you are taking the time to think about their input.
- When we are not feeling the need to quickly respond, we get the opportunity to really study, not only the spoken word, but also the non-spoken words (body language). Let’s face it, much of our communication is non-verbal and we need to stay quiet long enough to absorb that form of communication as well.
- When we listen intently, we show the speaker respect, and this helps develop trust. In a previous blog, I discussed the Native American practice of using a “talking stick” as a method of actively listening to the person designated to talk. This practice helped settle many disputes between the tribes amicably.
- Finally, when we listen, we tell the speaker that we value them and what they have to say! Imagine for a moment that you work with a boss that never asks for your opinion – how does that make you feel? Listening shows respect and that works well in all aspects of our lives.
Love to get your thoughts! Thanks – Tom
