**Write an initial post addressing the following questions : What are the major

**Write an initial post addressing the following questions :
What are the major learnings for you from the articles on listening and on trust?
What do you consider your major areas of improvement as a listener?
What specific steps did you decide to take to improve your listening skills?
What are the key learnings for you about the relationship between trust and national culture?
What steps will you personally take to improve the chances of building trusting relationships with your colleagues?
Readings for this module:
Executive guid to better listening
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/leadership/the-executives-guide-to-better-listening#
LLeader is a Leader’s most important skill
https://www.td.org/insights/listening-is-a-leaders-most-important-skill
** Respond to peer in 200+ words.
What are the major learnings for you from the articles on listening and on trust?
Within these readings, I have understood that you need to focus on the other person more than you need to yourself even in countries that allow for a strong individual self to be presented. When building trust and focusing on becoming a good listener it is important to consider how the recipient of your choice is reacting. Looking for body language clues and other verbal clues are essential. People from different countries have different ways they express themselves and their opinion that needs to be understood as background before attempting to build trust. By trying to understand the person you are trying to build a relationship, you will be more successful in the long wrong.
What do you consider your major areas of improvement as a listener?
A major area for myself is assuming I have enough background information on a person before I begin making assumptions as to how they may react. Typically, I find myself making baseless assumptions are pretrials to any relationship that need to be overcome before my trust can be freely given. When I do this, I create a boundary that the person must overcome without their knowledge and hinders my process for building a relationship.
What specific steps did you decide to take to improve your listening skills?
Instead of coming to a conversation assuming I have the knowledge beforehand, I should attempt the conversation assuming I know nothing. I will assume that this person can teach me something about themselves as well as other things I may not even know I lack in knowledge. I will be more patient in my assumptions before I have a true scope of whom I may be dealing with. Lastly, I have attempted to read in between the lines of what someone is saying to gather what they may fear to say directly.
What are the key learnings for you about the relationship between trust and national culture?
Depending on the national culture, trust is built in different ways and at different timescales. It is important to understand the factors leading to trust before assuming the other person is at fault. Typically, if communication is going awry then look towards your approach and determine areas where trust may be hindered due to the national culture.
What steps will you personally take to improve the chances of building trusting relationships with your colleagues?
Similar to improving my listening skills, I need to be more patient with my colleagues. Instead of having such an individualistic point of view of completing my own work, understand that with my colleagues a team effort will prevail. By not always assuming I know how a person will respond, I will open my mind and be more accepting of other answers allowing for my opinion to change. I hope to obtain a better understanding of the timeframe in which it will take to gain the trust of my colleagues.