Stanford Slovin: The Power of Empathetic Listening and Reflective Communication

Culture and Leadership Connections Podcast

Improving life through better listening.
Bio:
Stanford is a wealth management advisor. For over 30 years, Stanford Slovin has worked in the securities industry with individuals, families, and business owners as a financial professional with major national brokerage firms.
He is the author of Better Listening: The Secret to Improving Your Professional and Personal Life, and as a speaker showcases how listening improves communication and conflict resolution. Stanford is actively involved in charitable organizations focusing on mental health and children with disabilities. He loves traveling and plays in a rock and roll band.
Links:
Website: https://www.betterlisteningbook.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanfordslovin/
Episode Highlights:
In this episode, our guest, Stanford Slovin, educates us on the importance of empathetic and reflective listening. According to Stan, the world would be a better place if we all listened better. Stan shares his childhood and professional experiences, and we also get to hear about his involvement in the Side Hustle band.
Childhood Incidents:
Growing up, Stanford and his family traveled frequently. He vividly recalls his father engaging with waitstaff and bellhops, asking about their days. This inspired Stanford to write his book, believing that today's distractions prevent us from truly listening. He also remembers his father encouraging everyone, including family and employees, to express themselves.
Leadership and Cultural Influence:
According to Stanford, the best leaders are the best listeners. As a young adult, people often vented to him, and he always made them feel heard. Now, he asks if people want to be listened to or need his input after venting. Sometimes, people just want to be heard without receiving advice.
Growing up in a Midwestern city, Stanford realized how isolated cultural, religious, social, and economic settings can be. Summers spent on his family's farm in Galena, Illinois, exposed him to diverse people with different beliefs and economic backgrounds, highlighting the world's diversity
Influential Groups:
From a cultural and personal standpoint, Stanford chose a career focused on relationships, social interactions, sales, and service. He preferred a profession that involves communication and interaction in both social and professional settings, rather than a career confined to a lab, isolated from people, or dominated by data analysis and paperwork
Personality and Temperament:
Stanford has always been gregarious, spontaneous, and enthusiastic. Over the years, he has become more positive, patient, and listens better. His daughter describes him as passively aggressive in a positive way. He has also learned how to understand his audience so that he can communicate better.
Cultural Dissonance:
Stanford went to school to study law, and he was committed to practicing law when he graduated, but along the way, he realized he had a passion for wealth management. He had to get into cold calling, asking strangers to send him money to invest. The professional shock lasted for 18 to 24 months.
What Brings Out the Best in Stanford?
Stanford thrives in an environment where he understands what’s important to the person or people that he is working with. He is always looking for what else is important to them.
Soapbox Moment:
Stanford encourages us to get and read his book. The three key takeaways he would want us to have from the book include impactful conversations, empathy, and more reflective and active listening.

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