This post explores Listening Leadership through an inspiring fragment from a masterclass by conductor Mariss Jansons (link to the 03:30 mins video-link). It reminds us that listening reaches far beyond the realm of words: it becomes a language of resonance, where another person’s thoughts and feelings are given space, to resound. Listening can be understood as seeing through words — sensing what moves beneath them — and as a process the listener almost conducts: you create space, time and trust so that new insights can arise. Like music, listening invites to honour silence, sound and expression, to attune ourselves to what is emerging, and to stay rooted in your own authenticity as you receive the other.
Listening beyond words
A beautiful fragment of a Mariss Jansons’ masterclass captures what listening is about for me:
LISTENING AS A LANGUAGE OF RESONANCE, is when someone’s thoughts and feelings can resonate in the listening space. For the listener to hear their wisdom and authentic truth, to show respect to that truth, regardless of whether you agree, and to give this meaning by being responsive in respecting the authentic truth. Listening then creates connection on deeper grounds, too, beyond truth, interest or ego.
LISTENING AS SEEING THROUGH THE WORDS, is to listen to their wisdom, their authentic truth and to let this resonate and do its work, in yourself and the other. For listener and speaker to see what happens and listen. With this giving impulse to a new emerging exchange of meaning.
For me, listening is about setting the stage for this and giving the other person the confidence that this is there for them. Without giving away your authenticity as listener along the process.
Conducting the listening process
In the video (2:31) Jansons indicates: by playing, the musicians experience and come to understand the meaning of what is meant. This giving space to what echoes through, requires mastering leaning back to see what happens and to listen.
The listener conducts the listening process as it were, bringing in space and time for the process to do its work and the meaning of what is meant to become clear. The key here is to really slow down and trust the resonance to find its way. Something that contrasts deeply with the speed of our current state of affairs of working and living.
Honouring the process
What challenges me most in pursuing the above-mentioned way of listening is pressure. The structural pressure of much to do and talk about and little time, and of a general need in our thinking to get things done quickly. Coincidentally, making observations is part of my work as a Works Council Secretary. It really helps me lean back more when creating listening space, see what happens and trust this process. Through trial and error.
Musicians understand the above naturally, I believe. To me words and silence are like music, an expression of sound. The invitation, I hear and feel, is to listen and honour their expression.
(This post reflects an article Yael van Assendelft wrote for the Global Listening Movement in 2024)
