Listening. The underrated leadership skill.
Be aware that there are leaders or managers who must always be right. In this case, the idea of an argument is futile and you need to change the subject or shut down any argument. This isn't about giving in to someone with a difficult personality or a stubborn will; it's about recognising that your own time and mental health are more valuable than launching into proving such a person wrong.
Enter the servant leader, the servant-leader seeks to identify the will of a group/team and helps clarify that will. He or she seeks to LISTEN receptively to what is being said, instead of talking and talking... I'm sure you know those people who just loooove the sound of their own voice... DAMN! Change gear to Scrum... If we look into the ScrumMaster responsibilities and characteristics, we can conclude that the ScrumMaster is a servant leader, and this kind of leadership style can only help in achieving better results in Agile environments. This leader cares about the recognition of the team not self.
In an article by Richard Podsada, 10 Characteristics of a Servant Leader. He mentions Listening as the first characteristic of a servant-leader and having the ability to understand and empathise with others. People need to be accepted and recognised for their special and unique spirits, besides... all of us have different personality profiles.
