The Power of Active Listening: Why Women Leaders Need More Than Good Communication Skills

Most leaders understand the importance of communication. They work to articulate expectations, provide feedback, and encourage open conversations with their teams. Many also consider themselves good listeners because they make time for employees and welcome different perspectives.

But effective listening involves more than hearing what someone says. It requires awareness of where our attention is directed, how our assumptions influence what we hear, and what we may be overlooking. For women founders and senior leaders, developing this awareness can strengthen relationships, improve decision-making, and reveal information that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

As a professional leadership coach, I draw on coaching practices that emphasize listening as a skill that can be developed with intention. One approach comes from the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), which identifies three levels of listening: Internal, Focused, and Global. Each describes a different way of directing attention during a conversation and offers a useful perspective on how leaders can become more intentional listeners.

Level 1: Internal Listening

At Level 1, our attention is primarily focused on ourselves.

We hear what another person is saying, but we interpret it through our own experiences, concerns, and priorities. We may be preparing a response, evaluating the situation, or considering what advice to offer.

Imagine an employee explaining that a project is falling behind because another department has not provided necessary information. A leader listening at Level 1 might immediately think about the approaching deadline, recall a similar experience, or begin developing a solution.

These reactions are understandable. Leaders have responsibilities that require them to assess problems and make decisions.

The limitation arises when internal thinking prevents us from fully understanding the other person's perspective.

Internal listening is useful when reflecting on our own experiences and needs. But when someone else is speaking, remaining primarily focused on ourselves can cause us to miss important information.

Level 2: Focused Listening

At Level 2, attention shifts fully toward the other person.

Rather than preparing a response or comparing the situation with our own experiences, we become curious about what the speaker is communicating.

Returning to the project example, the leader might ask, "What has been happening between the two departments?" or "What have you already tried?" She listens to understand the employee's perspective, including the concerns and assumptions shaping how the employee sees the situation.

This requires more than remaining silent. It involves setting aside immediate judgments, allowing the conversation to develop, and asking questions that deepen understanding rather than direct the speaker toward a predetermined answer.

Focused listening can be particularly valuable when employees raise concerns that initially appear familiar. What seems like a performance problem may involve conflicting priorities, unclear responsibilities, or missing information.

By remaining curious, leaders create opportunities to understand the situation before deciding how to respond.

Level 3: Global Listening

Level 3 expands attention beyond the speaker's words to include the broader dynamics of the conversation.

In Co-Active Coaching, Global Listening involves noticing body language, tone, pauses, changes in energy, and other aspects of communication that may not be expressed directly. A leader might notice that an employee becomes hesitant when discussing a particular colleague or that the atmosphere in a team meeting changes when a sensitive issue is introduced. These observations do not establish what someone is thinking or feeling. They provide additional information worth exploring.

For example, a leader might say, "I noticed you paused when we discussed the timeline. Is there something about that expectation we should examine?"

Global listening is about remaining attentive to the broader context and checking our observations with curiosity. For leaders managing complex relationships, this awareness can help surface concerns or uncertainties that may not emerge through direct questions alone.

Applying the Three Levels to Leadership

The three levels are not a rigid sequence that leaders must move through during every conversation. They offer a way to recognize where attention is directed and make a conscious choice about how to listen.

A leader may notice herself becoming preoccupied with an immediate solution and deliberately return her attention to the employee. She may listen closely to someone's words while also noticing hesitation or changes in tone.

One useful practice is to reflect after an important conversation: Was I primarily listening to understand, or was I preparing my response? What did I notice beyond the words? What assumptions did I make, and did I check whether they were accurate?

Listening also has implications for how teams make decisions. Employees do not necessarily need their preferred outcome to be adopted, but the opportunity to contribute and have their perspectives genuinely considered can influence their willingness to support a decision.

I explore this relationship further in Why Team Commitment Doesn't Require Consensus, published in my Slow Power Journal, where I examine how considering different perspectives can strengthen commitment even when team members do not fully agree.

Listening as a Leadership Capability

Listening is more than a communication skill. It is an important part of how leaders build relationships, exercise judgment, and create the conditions for effective teamwork.

This connection is reflected in my Slow Power Leadership Framework®, which examines leadership through three interconnected discilines: Clarity, Connection, and Conscious Momentum™. Together, they focus on strengthening leadership judgment, developing effective relationships, and creating the conditions for sustainable progress.

Listening contributes to each of these disciplines. It strengthens Clarity by helping leaders recognize missing information and examine assumptions before making decisions. It supports Connection by building trust, encouraging open communication, and helping leaders understand perspectives beyond their own. And it contributes to Conscious Momentum™ when greater understanding leads to better coordination, clearer responsibilities, and more consistent progress.

For women leaders, deeper listening does not mean agreeing with every perspective or assuming responsibility for everyone's concerns. It means developing the presence and discernment to understand others while maintaining appropriate leadership authority.

Effective listening is not simply about giving people our attention. It is about directing that attention in ways that expand our understanding, strengthen our judgment, and improve how we lead.

About the Author

Ruth Burk, JD, ICF-ACC, CEC, SBC®, is a leadership and business coach, founder of Style Slowly Collective, LLC, and creator of the Slow Power Leadership Framework®. She helps women founders, senior leaders, and organizations strengthen leadership judgment, team effectiveness, and sustainable organizational capacity. Ruth is an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor and author of the forthcoming book Holding It All Together: A Slow Power® Approach to Leadership. Learn more at ruthburk.com.