Curious Active Listening Mindset (CALM) as a Leadership Modality

Directional Talk, or Dialogue?

Curious Active Listening Mindset as a leadership modality

Previously I shared CALM for receiving critical feedback. You can also have a Curious Active Listening Mindset for giving feedback.

In fact, from directional conversations to dialogue, CALM can be a leadership mindset and style of conversation entirely.


Curious Active Listening Mindset (CALM) for

Giving Feedback

  1. Set-up the stage for a dialogue
  • “Can I share with you something I noticed?”
  1. State the facts – just the situation and observed behavior
  • Avoid making comments of character judgment
  1. Invite their thoughts – calmly with curiosity, listen to understand
  • Suspend assumptions
  • Quiet the mind, no listening to respond, no parallel thinking
  • Listen with no interruption, no interpreting while listening
  1. Playback what was said
  • Acknowledge what was heard
    1. Offer support
    • Differences are ok, ask more questions for mutual understanding
    1. Offer to speak again

    Curious Active Listening Mindset (CALM) for

    Receiving Feedback

    1. Calmly with curiosity, listen to understand
    • Suspend assumptions
    • Quiet the mind, no listening to respond, no parallel thinking
    • Listen with no interruption, no interpreting while listening
    1. Playback what was said
    • Acknowledge what was heard
    1. Ask for support
    • Differences are ok, voice back as necessary
    • Ask to co-create solutions
    1. Agree to speak again
    • Join the Mental Model Dōjō Learning Community

      Upcoming Community Forums

      Post COVID Reflections on Teamwork: Synchronous & Asynchronous Communication

      Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing of Agile Teams

      Community Sign-Up

      Join our Mental Model Dōjō learning community and receive Knowledge Base and YouTube channel updates and invitations to community events.

      Joining the the Mental Model Dōjō learning community is free. Agile Organization Development, managed by Lifecycle Pte. Ltd., is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, and we’ll only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you requested from us. From time to time, we would like to contact you about our products and services, as well as other content that may be of interest to you. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy. By clicking submit, you consent to allow Lifecycle Pte. Ltd. to store and process the personal information submitted.

    Follow Coach Takeshi:

    Takeshi Yoshida, Founder & Chief Coach, Agile Organization Development

    About Agile OD: We are a tribe of learning professionals that help organzations succeed in change, transformation, innovation | Coach Takeshi bio & credentials