Includes index.

What great listeners actually do: they amplify, energize, and clarify your thinking / by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman -- What gets in the way of listening: break down your internal barriers / by Amy Jen Su and Muriel Maignan Wilkins -- Listening to people: how your emotions affect what you hear / by Ralph G. Nichols and Leonard A. Stevens -- Ways leaders can listen with more empathy: see things from their point of view / by Christine M. Riordan -- If you aspire to be a great leader, be present: be mindful of where your attention is / by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter -- Become a better listener: help others share at a deeper level: an interview with Nark Goulston / by Sarah Green Carmichael -- To change someone's mind, stop talking and listen: put your convictions aside and learn what motivates others / by Nilofer Merchant -- Defusing an emotionally charged conversation with a colleague: nurture the relationship when listening isn't enough / by Ron Friedman -- The power of listening in helping people change: hear out your employees before giving feedback / by Guy Itzchakov and Avraham N. (Avi) Kluger -- When you're the person your colleagues always vent to: are your productivity and mental health at risk? / by Sandra L. Robinson and Kira Schabram -- Managing the critical voices inside your head: when to listen to your inner critic - and when not to / by Peter Bregman.

Listening is a critical skill for leaders and managers alike, but it's not as easy as it sounds. We often get distracted by what we want to say, rather than focusing on what someone else wants us to hear. But by listening well, you can engage employees, promote the discovery of ideas, and clarify your own thinking. In this book, you'll learn from the latest research what prevents you from hearing others, when to focus on your inner voice, and how to converse more effectively, so you better understand your counterpart's emotions and point of view. How to be human at work. HBR's Emotional Intelligence Series features smart, essential reading on the human side of professional life from the pages of Harvard Business Review. Each book in the series offers proven research showing how our emotions impact our work lives, practical advice for managing difficult people and situations, and inspiring essays on what it means to tend to our emotional well-being at work. Uplifting and practical, these books describe the social skills that are critical for ambitious professionals to master.--