What if your biggest business problem isn’t poor communication, but poor listening?
Miscommunication costs U.S. businesses an estimated $1.2 trillion annually, according to Christine Miles. Behind that figure are missed deadlines, costly rework, lost customers, and teams struggling to stay aligned.
In Episode 85 of KPI Fireside, Keith Norris sits down with Christine Miles, keynote speaker, author of What Is It Costing You Not to Listen?, and founder of The Listening Path, to explore why listening is one of the most overlooked skills in business.
Drawing on her experience in family therapy and organizational development, Christine explains how better listening can strengthen leadership, uncover hidden problems, and improve business performance.
1. Listening Is a Brain Problem, Not an Ear Problem
Most people assume they’re good listeners because they can hear what someone is saying. But Christine explains that hearing and understanding are two very different things.
Our brains filter information through assumptions, emotions, experiences, and biases. As a result, we often respond to what we think someone means rather than understanding the complete message.
As Christine explains:
“It’s really a brain thing.”
She emphasizes that listening isn’t something we automatically master simply because we have ears. It’s a skill that requires training, tools, and consistent practice.
For leaders practicing continuous improvement, this distinction matters. Understanding the real problem must come before implementing a solution.
2. Poor Listening Creates Hidden Business Costs
Christine explains that organizations often overlook the financial impact of poor listening because its consequences appear elsewhere in the business.
Missed deadlines, unnecessary meetings, customer dissatisfaction, and repeated work may seem like separate operational problems. But many can be traced back to misunderstandings.
“If you have an organization you have a listening problem.”
Christine describes the cumulative impact as:
“death by a thousand cuts”
Small misunderstandings compound until they become expensive problems.
She also challenges leaders to recognize how often organizations rush to provide solutions without fully understanding what customers or employees actually need.
For teams focused on Lean management, better listening can help uncover hidden waste and prevent unnecessary rework.
3. Six Questions Can Help You Understand the Full Story
One of the most practical takeaways from the episode is Christine’s structured approach to listening.
She explains that effective listeners take responsibility for guiding conversations rather than simply waiting for the other person to finish speaking.
“The listener’s in charge, not the speaker.”
Christine introduces six listening prompts that help uncover both the facts and feelings behind someone’s story:
- Take me back to the beginning.
- What happened next?
- How did that make you feel?
- Tell me more.
- Hmm?
- It sounds like you felt…?
These prompts encourage people to share important details that might otherwise remain hidden.
Whether you’re speaking with a customer, coaching an employee, or investigating a process problem, understanding the full story helps prevent premature conclusions.
This connects directly to Lean problem-solving, where understanding the underlying problem is essential before selecting countermeasures.
4. Summarizing Is the Ultimate Alignment Tool
How often do meetings end with everyone believing they’re aligned, only for misunderstandings to emerge later?
Christine introduces a technique she calls the flashlight: telling the story back to the speaker to demonstrate what you’ve understood.
“The speaker’s in the dark about what you heard and understand.”
Instead of assuming everyone is on the same page, effective listeners summarize the conversation and ask whether they’ve understood correctly.
Christine’s simple question is:
“Do I get you?”
Even when the summary isn’t completely accurate, it gives the other person an opportunity to clarify missing information.
For leaders, this habit can reduce rework, improve accountability, and create stronger alignment around decisions and next steps.
5. Make Listening an Organizational Capability
Christine’s biggest message is that listening shouldn’t be treated as an optional soft skill.
It should become part of how organizations operate.
“Listening should be an organizational capability.”
She encourages leaders to move beyond telling employees to listen better and instead provide practical tools, training, and opportunities to practice.
Organizations can start by:
- Listening before solving: Understand the problem before proposing solutions.
- Asking better questions: Use Christine’s six prompts to uncover the full story.
- Summarizing conversations: Confirm understanding before taking action.
- Seeking feedback: Ask employees whether they feel heard and understood.
- Practicing consistently: Make listening part of everyday meetings, coaching, and problem-solving.
These habits can strengthen collaboration, reduce misunderstandings, and support a more effective continuous improvement culture.
As Christine puts it:
“The most important skill we’re never taught.”
Better listening leads to better understanding. Better understanding leads to better decisions. And better decisions drive better business results.
Watch KPI Fireside Episode 85: Christine Miles on the Business Impact of Listening
Ready to discover what better listening could mean for your team?
Join Keith Norris and Christine Miles as they explore the science of listening, practical techniques for understanding others, and the hidden costs of miscommunication.
