Successful individuals possess a distinct advantage: they actively practice listening in the workplace with genuine curiosity, writes Ashton Jackson for CNBC. 

Muriel Wilkins, co-founder of the leadership consulting firm Paravis Partners, passionately states on the “Radical Candor” podcast, “Listening is the biggest and the most underused skill that helps drive empathy, and a lot of other things as well.” 

A study from 2015 by Accenture revealed that a staggering 96 percent of professionals view themselves as competent listeners. However, this self-perception contrasts sharply with a 2013 Carnegie Mellon study, which found that 50 percent of adults forget what they’ve heard almost immediately after hearing it. 

The act of listening, especially with genuine curiosity, has profound implications in the workplace. It can address issues like a perceived lack of empathy. The more one practices this form of listening, the deeper the connections they forge, leading to increased trust.  

This was supported by research from the American Psychological Association in 2021, which found that genuine listening encourages others to share more profound and meaningful insights about themselves. 

Empathy’s role in the workplace has grown significantly, especially in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

A lack of perceived empathy has had repercussions, leading to decreased morale, exacerbated by challenges like mass layoffs, return-to-office resistance, and employee burnout. 

Yet, a 2021 report from Catalyst, a global nonprofit for workplace inclusion, found that fostering empathy can lead to increased innovation, productivity, and engagement.  

Read more about the transformative power of listening in the workplace and its impact on leadership on CNBC. 

Four things all great listeners know.