“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.” - The Dalai Lama

As International Women’s Day rolls around once again, companies and leadership are given their annual nudge to reflect on the impact and incredible achievements of the women within their staff and industry. 

But we need to ask ourselves: what if we made this standard practice in how we operate every single day? By this, I don’t mean reflecting on huge, history-defining achievements of women. In fact, it’s something even more fundamental. It’s the power of truly listening. 

Stop talking, start listening

Changing our behaviours, attitudes and systems to ensure underrepresented voices are heard within the workplace is vital. Not only does it allow for the creation of a working environment where all people feel valued and listened to, but also for generating a quality of output that embraces the value of diverse lived experiences and perspectives for richer and stronger ideas, approaches and executions.

And listening is where it begins. Actively listening to those around you - and making the effort to understand those you are yet to meet - is the foundation to creating a workplace where both people and products thrive. Read on to discover 5 key steps to establishing meaningful listening within your work:

1. Take time to understand

With more than 40% of workers feeling emotionally and physically isolated at work according to a study by EY, taking the time to understand those around you and the individual realities they face is key to promoting a culture of belonging - both in the workplace and beyond. Moreover, discovering new stories and learning about different identities and cultures will promote the richness of your work and ideas, and foster a collaborative environment in which everyone has the potential to thrive.

2. Establish diverse representation

Without diversity in representation, discussions become an echo chamber. From the meeting room to the company as a whole, making sure you have the right people opens the floor to the education and listening that forms the foundation of inclusive behaviour within the workplace. And this has an impact on business performance - a report by McKinsey found that the most diverse companies are now more likely to outperform less diverse peers. For instance, companies with more than 30% female executives were already more likely to outperform companies where this percentage was lower, and even more so when this percentage was very low to even none at all.

3. Take a step back

Always be asking: Has everyone in the meeting had a chance to speak their thoughts? Is there a way for employees to provide anonymous feedback that is read, actioned, and truly understood? Underrepresented voices have systemically faced greater challenges when it comes to making themselves heard, from getting less air time in discussions, greater interruptions, less accessibility to mentorship, and disproportionate blame. As such, a culture of “just speak up” simply doesn’t cut it - active listening and advocacy from peers and leadership is essential to make sure everyone feels welcome to be heard.

4. More eyes on the prize

If you’ve written a piece of work (just like this article), who could you ask to review it who might have a different perspective? If you are brainstorming new ideas, who can you discuss with to stimulate alternative ideas? At the same time, look for opportunities to give those who are less represented feedback that can help them learn and grow. Treat feedback as a gift and solicit it often - you’ll benefit from the input, and others will grow from your experiences too.

5. Embrace different

Different might not sit comfortably at first, but you need to be challenged to truly change, for the better. Embracing different perspectives - and setting up systems that let them thrive - is core to real and meaningful progress for you and your company. What about creating a mentorship programme, for example? If you’re more senior, go beyond offering advice and use your influence to advocate for your mentee. Mentorship is a great way to give underrepresented voices and those early in their career the opportunity to learn and grow.

What would happen if we simply listened more? Try it and find out.