When was the last time you truly listened? I don't mean waiting for your turn to speak. I mean slowing down, looking someone in the eyes and really hearing what they're trying to say.'cause here's the truth, leadership, it's not about having all the answers. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do as a leader is to listen. This is Leading 10. I'm Chris Moore, and today we're talking about the value of listening. James chapter one, verse 19. Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow the wrath. We live in a noisy world. Everyone's talking, everyone's posting. Everyone has an opinion and a platform. But Jesus, he gives us a different framework. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. Now, that's not just good advice, it's godly leadership. Let's be honest, most of us are better at talking than listening. Especially when we're in a leadership position, it's really something that is required many times for us as leaders is to be able to speak, to talk, to communicate. We've been taught to direct, to decide, and then to delegate. But if you skip the listening step, you leading with assumptions instead of true understanding, and that's a dangerous path. We probably all worked at places, had experience, especially early in our careers where decisions were being made, where you knew for sure that if that person had all the information, they wouldn't have made that decision. When you listen, when you truly listen, you give other people dignity. You show them they matter. You show them that they're seen, heard, and valued. Even if you don't make the choice that they recommended, they know that you truly listened. And let me say it another way. Listening is one of the most honoring things that you can do to someone. And if you wanna lead people well, you have to start by hearing them well. This passage in James isn't just a personal communication tip, it's a leadership posture. Swift to here means you come into the conversation, curious, not controlling. Your goal is to understand, not just to be understood. Slow to speak means you're not rushing in with a solution before you even know what the real problem is. Slow to wrath reminds us that jumping to conclusions usually leads to frustration, both for you and definitely for your team. So what does this say about us? It says, we're often in a hurry. I'm as guilty of this as anyone else. We're in a hurry to fix. We're in a hurry to respond. We also, many times, are just in a hurry to prove we're right. We can ignore the facts just to say that we're right and we're in that hurry. We miss the people that are around us, the people that are trying to serve us, serve their position, and do what's right in their role. We overlook what they're really saying. We solve symptoms instead of the root issues of problems. I. So what does this passage say about God? First, it says He's a God who listens. He hears our prayers, he sees our hearts. You know, it's interesting that God invites us and tells us to talk to him, to ask us to pray to him, to have a conversation, and yet he knows all he can, will all into existence. He knows what's going to happen. And yes, we see in the Bible where he takes an active part based on people's prayers. He sees us, he invites us to reflect that, that same kind of patient attention, uh, and he invites us to reflect that, that same kind of patient, attentive leadership with others. Think about Jesus for a moment. When the woman at the well approached him in John chapter four, he didn't start with a lecture. He asked some questions. He listened to her story, a story he already knew and responded with Compassion and truth. That's leadership that transforms not through dominance, but through presence. Your presence fully engaged, fully attentive is often more impactful than any plan that you can put into place. So what does this mean for you as a leader? It means you need to slow down in order to speed up. Let me explain. When you take time to truly understand your team, your spouse, your clients, or your kids, you build trust and you start to uncover your own blind spots. You learn what really needs to be fixed, not just what's the loudest issue or the loudest voice in the room. Listening helps you lead with precision. You know, sometimes on our teams, we have someone who doesn't talk in the group. But they may actually be the smartest one with the greatest ideas. They just don't have the confidence to speak and communicate in front of people. You need to learn to listen to them as well, and to put them in situations where they can speak to you so that you can actually hear them. Because when you know what's really going on, you can respond with clarity, not just with control of the situation. Listening doesn't make you look weak. It doesn't make you look like you don't know what's happening. It doesn't make you look like you have no idea what's going on. What it does do is it makes you look wise. It makes you slow down. It makes you look like you really care about the people around you. And we should. It doesn't really slow down your leadership. It strengthens it, and it doesn't mean you stop leading. It just means you start leading better. And I've had to learn this the hard way. There are many times, so many times I gave answers too quickly. I made assumptions about situations that cost me credibility, uh, with the people who knew better. I responded before I really received, and in those moments I lost trust. Not because I meant to, but because I didn't pause to listen. If I could encourage you with anything today, it'd be this slow down look up. I. Listen, God might be speaking to you through the very voices that you're rushing to get past. So here's your challenge. In your next conversation, practice listening. Don't jump in with advice. Don't look at your phone. Don't finish their sentence. Just listen. Let the other person feel heard fully and completely. Ask some questions to extend their side of the conversation, especially if you are one who has always been quick to speak, quick to interrupt, not really listening, and see what changes in the room and on the faces of those in it. Leadership isn't just about vision and strategy, although that's something I love, that's not necessarily all of it. It's really about people. And people want to be heard. And if you want to lead with impact, lead with your ears open and your heart engaged in the situation. Because the best leaders aren't always the ones who speak first. They're the ones who hear what others miss. This is leading 10. I'm Chris Moore. Now go lead with humility and let your listening. Light your way. If this helps you slow down and listen today, hit the like button for me. It, it really helps us grow and subscribe so you don't miss future episodes, but share this. Share this message with one leader in your life who needs a reminder that listening is part of true leadership. I'll see you next time.