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Listening: Adaptively

This month caps off our series covering the 4 competencies of listening:

1. a posture of listening to the client with our whole bodies, completely present toward comprehensive comprehension;
2. helping the client move into listening, noticing the concepts and context, as they describe their “it;”
3. becoming a partner with the client to identify both what they need to do, and what they are willing to do; co-designing from where they are toward where they want to go.  And, today’s listening competency, 
4. Listening Adaptively: listening within and beyond the current moment for impact and learning, clarifying and documenting adaptations en route to transformation.

Anyone who has experienced the pleasure and challenge of shepherding emerging adults through discerning pivotal decisions such as: what college to attend, what major to select, and/or where to live, or whom to marry - understands the challenges and importance of engaging each of the four listening competencies.  

And, it doesn’t stop with the initial decision, does it? Once the decision is made, the impact, with its related learning, often leads to multiple rounds of listening and co-designing adaptations along the way.  Or, as our family often describes it:  if your interests change and/or your experience isn’t what you imagined, nor has the intended impact, you pivot!

Similarly, a client requested assistance with formulating a business proposal for a new revenue stream.  They had desirable and much-needed products that their customers were asking for and the work was aligned with their mission.  What they needed was assistance with defining all aspects of a business proposal for the board of directors. 

While working with a small team commissioned by the CEO, it soon became apparent that their appetite for growth exceeded the resources required to prepare and implement the plan.  At this point, we expanded engagement in the business proposal to include the broader leadership team, with the intent of walking together through:

1. The initial research, noting how it revealed the continued relevance of the product; 
2. Gaps in a clear definition of the target market and key product differentiators; and
3. The strain implementation would have on the entire entity.

By taking time to engage the leadership team “within and beyond the current moment”, to experience the potential gaps in a sustainable business, the team co-designed adaptations toward a longer-term path to transformation.   

As both parents and Process Consultants, we don’t claim to know our emerging adults, nor the Client’s organizations better than they do.  In fact, one might argue the most effective parenting and process consulting happens when the parents/consultants suspend their opinions of what is “right”.  Rather, listen to the student/Client’s Why, Who, What, Where, When, and How - and reflect back to them what we are hearing, learning and noticing. 

We listen intently through the lens of all four listening competencies for the client to see and describe within and beyond the current moment, together seeking to understand the impact of moving forward, and co-designing an adaptive path to the desired transformation.

In contrast to a plethora of consultants who come in as experts and tell clients what they need to do, and how to be successful, Process Consultants walk alongside to Listen intently to the context of the Client’s “why”, then walk alongside to co-create the way forward, continue to listen and learn from initial phases, and pivot, or adapt their way through to transformation.

In closing, think about your latest consultant or internal exploration teams’ interactions in the context of the four competencies of listening at the beginning of this blog.  Then, if you’d like to hear more about how this deeper level of listening, in concert with competencies in helping and learning, can be engaged to help you and your organization transform for a vibrant future, feel free to contact me at lmilanowski@designgroupintl.com.  

I’d love to listen and help co-design your adaptive path to a vibrant future!

Linda Milanowski-Westdorp
Design Group International
Senior Consultant

To Dig Deeper:

1.   The Number One Communication Skill for Leaders (It’s Not What You Think!)

2.   Broaden Your Influence by Adapting How You Listen

3.   Reclaim the Lost Art of Deep Listening, Forbes

4. Listening, Helping, Learning, by Mark L. Vincent

The core competencies of process consulting have been developed and are taught by the Society for Process Consulting. If you are interested in receiving your credential in process consulting please visit our website.