Why Listening Is a Hard Business Skill, Not a Soft One

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-02-12

We often think of listening as a soft skill. You know, something nice to have, a bit of empathy sprinkled on top of the real work. But what if we've got it all wrong? What if listening is actually the hardest, most critical business skill you can master? That's the powerful idea Evy Gruyaert brings after 25 years in the media spotlight. She's not on stage as a presenter anymore. She's the co-founder of All Ears, an organization that helps companies structurally embed real listening into their way of working. In our conversation, Evy shared how listening was her most important professional tool for years, long before she had the words or a business for it. Not as an empathetic extra, but as a way to understand better, work sharper, and grow more sustainably—for both people and organizations. ### The Listening Trap We All Fall Into Let's be honest. How often do we confuse listening with just waiting for our turn to talk? We're already formulating our response while the other person is still speaking. We're filling in the blanks with our own experiences, our own 'backpack' as Evy calls it. We think we're having a dialogue, but we're really just having two monologues that happen to overlap. That's not listening. That's just polite interruption. > "Real listening requires slowing down to speed up. It's the necessary pause that lets you move forward with clarity."  ### What Real Listening Actually Looks Like So how does All Ears help organizations listen? It's not about holding more meetings or sending out more surveys. It's about creating structures where listening becomes part of the workflow, not an afterthought. - It means leaders don't just say they're "open to feedback"—they create systems where feedback flows safely and consistently - It means building psychological safety so people actually say what they think, not what they think you want to hear - It means recognizing that trust isn't built in grand gestures, but in the daily practice of being heard The concrete results? Teams that solve problems faster because they understand them better. Organizations that innovate because they're truly tuned into their customers and employees. Leaders who make better decisions because they're working with complete information, not just their assumptions. ### The Foundation We Often Miss Here's what leaders frequently underestimate: safety and trust aren't just nice-to-haves. They're the actual foundation of a strong company culture. Without them, your "open door policy" is just a door. When people don't feel safe, they won't tell you what's really going wrong. They won't share that brilliant idea that's half-formed. They'll wait until problems become crises before speaking up. Building that foundation starts with listening—not as a technique, but as a genuine practice. It's about curiosity over certainty. Understanding over being understood. ### Making the Shift Practical This isn't about becoming a therapist at work. It's about practical shifts anyone can make: - Notice when you're formulating your response instead of hearing theirs - Ask one more question before offering your solution - Create regular, structured opportunities for feedback that feel safe, not performative - Recognize that sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is be quiet The business case is clear. Companies that listen well understand their market better. They retain talent longer. They adapt faster. They build products people actually want. Listening isn't the soft stuff. It's the hard work of leadership. It's the difference between managing what's happening and understanding what's possible. And in today's complex business environment, that understanding might just be your greatest competitive advantage. Start by listening to one conversation today without planning your response. See what you hear that you might have missed. The insights might surprise you.