Better Listening Builds Better Careers

Mechanical engineers learn to be decisive, solve problems, and provide answers. But this same instinct can also create blind spots, especially when engineers fail to listen long enough to fully understand what someone is trying to tell them.

“People want to feel heard,” said Richard Friedman of Friedman & Partners, a long-time consultancy to the engineering industry. “Engineers and other highly educated professionals sometimes feel compelled to have all the answers, so they may spend too much time talking and not enough time listening. Whether it’s a client, a staffer, or someone else on the project team, if they don’t feel heard, they won’t want to work with you.”

Better listening leads to better decisions

For technical professionals, this can be difficult. The same expertise that helps engineers analyze problems can create pressure to offer answers before they’ve fully explored the issue.

“Employees in expertise-driven professional services firms are especially vulnerable to poor listening skills because they’re so invested in their expertise,” Friedman said. “They often think they’re listening when they’re not. Instead, they’re doing what is called ‘reloading’—they’re thinking about their next response instead of listening to what the other person is saying.”

The cost of poor listening isn’t just hurt feelings or damaged relationships; it’s missed information. When professionals stop listening too soon, they often overlook facts, perspectives, and concerns that could lead to better decisions.

For engineers, effective listening can uncover information that improves decisions and project outcomes. A client conversation may reveal business concerns or opportunities missing from the original project brief. A field technician may point out operational challenges absent from design documents. A junior engineer may ask questions that expose assumptions others did not realize they had made. This information can turn a good solution into a great one.

Professionals can learn to listen

The good news is that professionals can learn and improve listening skills. In Power Listening: Mastering the Most Critical Business Skill of All, Bernard T. Ferrari argues that effective listening requires concentration, curiosity, and a willingness to challenge one’s own assumptions.

Many people think of listening as a communication skill. Ferrari views it instead as a competitive advantage.

“Highly developed listening skills increase your focus and your sense of control,” he wrote. “You will see the change in your own performance and productivity. More important, good listening skills will enable you to bring forth more fully developed ideas from the people around you. In the best of all worlds, it can facilitate streamlined analysis, more focused planning, and more sure-handed decision making.”

Before engineers can evaluate alternatives, develop solutions, or manage risk, they must first gather accurate information. The quality of a decision often depends on the quality of the listening that preceded it.

That’s why effective listeners do more than hear what others say. They probe for context, ask follow-up questions, and stay curious long enough to uncover information others might miss.

Listening builds trust

Listening also plays a critical role in building trust.

When people feel ignored, they’re less likely to speak candidly. When they feel heard, they share concerns, ideas, and difficult information.

This dynamic becomes especially important when projects encounter problems.

“If people are apprehensive about bringing up important information because someone isn’t listening or is reactive, they’re obviously not going to want to share bad news or criticism,” Friedman said.

The consequences can be serious. Small problems can grow larger and more costly when teams fail to address them early. Misunderstandings deepen, and hidden risks can turn into crises.

“When you sweep things under the rug, it can be disastrous for a project,” Friedman said. “Errors early on multiply in magnitude later.”

Strong listeners create the opposite environment. They make it safe for people to speak honestly, even when the news is unwelcome.

Listening begins before the project starts

Friedman believes listening should begin long before project delivery.

He points to project interviews, client conversations, and post-proposal and post-project debriefs as opportunities to gather information that can shape future success.

“When you find out why a client selected you, it may be surprising,” he said. “There are often multiple decision-makers and influencers involved—sometimes over an extended time period.”

Understanding these motivations can help project teams focus on what matters most to the client and anticipate potential concerns before they become problems.

“It’s not just listening,” Friedman said. “It’s also asking the right questions.”

Great listeners actively guide conversations through thoughtful questions designed to uncover facts and perspectives that might otherwise remain hidden.

“Good listening burns more calories than talking ever will,” wrote Ferrari, who had careers as a surgeon, a lawyer, a businessman, a consultant, and an academic before recently retiring. “I’m convinced that this misperception—that listening is somehow equivalent to resting—leads people to believe that listening is a passive rather than an active endeavor. From that false premise naturally flows the assumption that listening can be a time waster, rather than an effective means of advancing the ball.”

Become a better listener

Recognizing the importance of being a good listener is the first step. The next is improving through conscious effort and practice.

Ferrari recommends approaching conversations with curiosity rather than certainty. Friedman encourages professionals to avoid presumptions and make a deliberate effort to check in with clients and teammates regularly.

Engineers looking to strengthen their listening skills can start with a few simple habits:
•    Even if you’re ready to offer a solution, check yourself and ask one more follow-up question. You may be surprised at what you find out and how it may change your thinking. 
•    Don’t worry about what you’re going to say; it’ll come to you. Focus instead on understanding what you’re hearing. 
•    Resist the urge to interrupt. You’ll get your chance to speak. Even if you don’t, letting them finish is better than creating the impression that you’re more interested in talking than understanding what the other person is saying.
•    When you do respond, it may help to summarize the key points you heard to confirm that you understood their intent.
•    Pay attention to what people seem reluctant to say. Politely encourage them to expand on their points and open up to you. Often, by being a good listener, you’ll make people feel comfortable speaking candidly.
•    Create an environment where bad news can be shared safely. This means remaining calm, even-tempered, and focused on solutions rather than on blame and punishment.
•    Don’t be afraid to question what you’re hearing. And it’s always good to challenge established beliefs, including your own.

The best engineers are often excellent problem-solvers, but the highest-performing professionals and leaders understand that great decisions rarely begin with answers. They begin with information. And gathering the right information starts with good listening.

Jerry Guerra is an independent writer in Lynnfield, Mass.