“Listen up!” An odd little phrase. I was surprised to discover that this slang term originated in the US military and became popular in the 1970’s as the Vietnam War unfolded.
An essential skill for good followship, it would be easy to make a statement like “listening is important”. We all know this, but so many of us don’t practice it. I believe one reason is that we are so preoccupied with our own ideas that there is little room to accept what someone else has to offer. We might be prone to listen more closely to an individual who is leading us, for fear of missing something important or out of a sense of responsibility, but in my experience its rare to be really engaged in the act of listening, really zoned in.
Another reason we aren’t great at listening is that it is difficult to break through all the noise we’re bombarded with. So many people, needs and ideas vying for our attention through a range of channels.
In an improvisation, no idea moves forward without listening. When you are working collaboratively to explore the edges of things understood and are wading into that liminal space between what you know and what you have yet to discover, if you are not engaged in listening, you’ll miss it. That nugget of truth or inspiration.
“Listen up” may be a throw back military term, but it is well suited in the exploration of followship. It is a command from a leader to a group of followers, calling them to attention and demanding that they focus on what he/she is saying. Most leaders in non-profits don’t bark like a general, but they do want your attention nonetheless. With a little practice, the best followers can give their leaders what they need.
If you know you need to learn to listen, then you know you need to be DOING GOODER.
