Have you ever thought you would not be an effective leader just because you are a naturally quiet person? Or are you only recruiting leaders who are outspoken and seem confident?

We have long been stuck in a narrow and outdated view of what good leadership looks, sounds, and feels like. Often we assume there's a correlation between confidence and competence. We have disregarded quiet people's great potential to be of positive impact just because we think they're too shy to lead the change.

This is a myth.

According to our guest in episode 53, listening is a leadership responsibility. And quietly powerful leaders use their quiet superpower towards better decision-making, more empowered and engaged teams, and high-quality outcomes.

Listen to your listening SUPERPOWER podcast to understand why and how to tap into this potential.

Megumi Miki is an author, speaker, and consultant in leadership and culture, with a background in strategy, economics, and finance. Through her book "Quietly Powerful: How Your Quiet Nature is Your Leadership Strength", keynote presentations, one-on-one, and group coaching programs, Megumi has reached thousands of people globally and helped individuals to see their own leadership potential, lead authentically, and have an impact. She challenges our subconscious beliefs about what good leadership looks, sounds, and feels like.

Megumi brings together 20+ years of experience in leadership development, organizational development, change and business strategy as she helps leaders and organizations unlock dormant potential by evolving to be smart together rather than being smart on our own.

In this episode, Megumi discusses how quiet people are powerful and effective leaders as she shares stories inspired from her book, "Quietly Powerful". Also, Megumi enumerates actionable tips for you to try as a leader in an organization, even if you are quiet. In this week's episode, learn about the importance of becoming present in conversations and why confidence shouldn't be compared to competence.

"Listening is a leadership responsibility, not just a nice thing to do when there's some time to listen."

– Megumi Miki

Listen IN Notes:

00:11 – "Listen to the whole rather than just the words": The moments that helped Megumi to notice the power of listening, and how she trained herself from then on to become a better listener

03:07 – From victim to power: Seeing how much of a superpower the survival kind of listening is along with the importance of paying attention to the essence of a conversation

07:42 – A piece of advice from Megumi: "Stay curious, because whatever you know, if you continue to speak, that's all you get – what you know. But if you actually listen, then you might learn something new."

10:39 – How your quiet nature is your hidden leadership strength: Megumi shares the motivation behind her book, "Quietly Powerful"

16:51 – Listening = Effective leadership: How creating a listening environment where people feel safe and free to speak paves way for positive impact in an organization

21:33 – "You can hear all the words, but if you're not influenced, then you're not really listening": Why you should be present as you listen

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28:30 – Learn from interviews Megumi did for her book and the Leadership Stories on what leaders have done to be able to effectively listen and catch critical topics

31:01 – To-do list on developing the superpower: Megumi shares why people are quiet along with the attributes to embody in order to be seen as a leader

40:49 – Today's plot twist: "Just because you're quiet doesn't mean you listen well."

42:52 – Connect with Megumi Miki

Key Takeaways:

"The tip would be to stay curious, because whatever you know, if you continue to speak, that's all you get – what you know. But if you actually listen, then you might learn something new. It does take a bit more effort, because what it means when you listen is that you have to integrate both what you're thinking and what other people are saying. It takes more courage, more skill, and more intellectual brainpower." – Megumi Miki

"You can hear all the words, but if you're not influenced, then you're not really listening." – Megumi Miki

Notes/Mentions:

Quietly Powerful: https://www.quietlypowerful.com.au/book/

Connect with Megumi Miki:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megumimiki/
Website: http://www.quietlypowerful.com.au

Connect with Raquel Ark:

www.listeningalchemy.com
Mobile: + 491732340722
contact@listeningalchemy.com
LinkedIn
Podcast email: listeningsuperpower@gmail.com

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