LISTEN WITH INTENT
Dec 23, 2021
When was the last time you walked through the woods or in a park and just listened? I mean really listened...with your whole heart? If you closed your eyes, what would you hear? The sweet songs of birds? The laughter of children? The cracking of twigs beneath your feet? The rustling of leaves by squirrels gathering acorns for the long winter ahead? How did that make you feel?
We don't often think about using our heart when listening. After all, listening is what our ears are for. Yes, that's true. But listening with intent requires so much more than just the simple act of hearing. It requires our heart. It is important that we listen with our hearts as well as with our ears or we may miss something vitally important in the message being conveyed.
Listening with intent means to do so with desire, determination, purpose and resolve. We are INTENT on hearing what another person has to say. We are DETERMINED to understand what they are saying or asking. It is with RESOLVE that we seek to block out all other distractions, even for those few minutes, so that we may be present and listen with PURPOSE to deeply understand another person.
As leaders we have been called to serve our teachers, staff, students, and their families. With that service comes a lot of "noise;" noise that can distract us from what is truly important. Learning how to sift through the noise and listening to others with an intention to understand is often challenging but it can be done. It takes practice and discipline. The next time someone stops by your office, pops their head in your door and says, "Do you have just 5 minutes?"use it as an opportunity to practice listening with intent. Pause, stop everything, step away from your computer, flip your cell phone over and be present. Listen with your ears but engage your heart as well. Seek to understand and truly hear what it is that they have to say. Remember, they would not have stopped if they didn't think what they had to share with you was important and that you were important enough to share it with.