‘Listening is very difficult for managers with authority’ ---Says GYIN-Gambia Coordinator

GYIN Gambia Ambassador Njie

The Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN) Gambia Chapter national coordinator, Mamadou Edrisa Njie has observed that listening is very difficult, especially for managers with authority and a ready audience within their departments or companies.

In a recent presentation on leadership skills and qualities during the GYIN Senegal coordinator, Aisha Padane’s visit to the country on the 24 August 2015 at the GYIN office in Churchill’s Town, he called on the masses to listen four times as they speak because the surface area of the two ears is four times as much as the lip.

“The mammalian ear is a master of detecting very quite sounds,” he noted, while saying: “Yet we humans do not listen too well. Husbands do not listen well to wives, bosses do not listen too well to employees and parents do not listen too well to their next-generation children.”

Njie also added that listening well and reflecting upon what we have listened to is a key part of implicit feedback.

Speaking on how to become a successful leader, the GYIN coordinator said to end up as a boss, there is need to first be a great subordinate.

“Almost everybody you know is a boss to some people but a subordinate to some others. It is important for any good subordinate to think about the boss’s needs as much as he or she would like the boss to think of his or her needs,” he noted.

According to him, there are nine things that managers feel that their boss owes them including feedback, empowerment, coaching, transparency, recognition, opportunity, clear tasks, access and respect for personal time.

Noting that four things that people feel they own their bosses are one hundred percent effort, loyalty, honest and get-it-done results.

Njie went on to add that there are skills described by the 4A’s such as Accomplishment, Affability, Advocacy and Authenticity which are central to one’s ability to be an outstanding subordinate. 

“And every great leader was at one time an outstanding subordinate to his or her bosses,” he said.