Atlanta-based Dr. Sam Adeyemi has trained thousands of people in leadership for more than two decades. He has done this through the Daystar Leadership Academy (DLA), which has graduated over 45,000 people since 2002, and through seminars, workshops, and conferences. He currently serves as a mentor to hundreds of top CEOs in Nigeria. His new book is “Dear Leader: Your Flagship Guide to Successful Leadership.”
As a global conference speaker, he has addressed audiences in the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Nigeria, India, and several other countries. In 2015 and 2017, he spoke at the Global Leadership Summit, a global conference attended by over 400,000 leaders in 130+ countries.
He holds a Master of Arts degree in Leadership Studies from the University of Exeter, UK, and a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership from Regent University, Virginia, USA. He is a member of the International Leadership Association.
Sam Adeyemi is the Principal Consultant of Sam Adeyemi GLC, Inc., a leading global leadership consulting company with the mission to raise high-impact leaders to shape the fortunes and destinies of nations.
If you want to be a leader of people, you must learn to be an active listener. It is, after all, one of the key components for building strong relationships and establishing a supportive company culture. What are a few leadership tips for engaging in active listening? Dr. Sam Adeyemi is sharing 5 tips:
1) Empathize: Get curious about the person you are listening to. Put aside your professional role for a moment and connect with them on a human level. Who is this person really? What outside circumstances are they dealing with? Seek understanding, which opens hearts, instead of judgment, which closes them. Treating people like people first will cause others to relax, relate, open up, and trust.
2) Never interrupt: Interruption tells others that a) you are not listening, b) you are not listening with an open mind, or c) you feel that you or your point of view is more important than them / theirs. This will inevitably irk, upset, and cause others to feel small / dominated. When being an active listener, your only motivation is to listen. Once that is accomplished, then process what was said, then respond.
3) Summarize key points: Paraphrasing what you’ve just heard confirms that you’ve received the message accurately and without judgment. Summarizing in this way doesn’t necessarily mean that you agree or disagree with them, but it does make the speaker feel heard, respected, and acknowledged.
4) Use expansion statements: In a conversation, meeting, or interview, using an expansion statement such as “Tell me more” after someone has spoken is a way to a) confirm to the speaker that you have been listening to them, b) communicate that you have a level of interest in what they’re saying, and c) invite the speaker to expound upon their thoughts. It’s a great way to invite others to open up and shift into a deeper gear with what they’re communicating.
5) Listen without prejudice: There is an important hadith by Ali ibn Abi Talib which states, “Do not look at who is talking, but look at what he is saying.” Do not let your listening be swayed or clouded by someone’s stature, position, or rank. Everyone deserves to be heard, and everyone, no matter their title or background, has the ability to deliver something of great value. Give everyone your full listening.
Dr. Sam Adeyemi will be holding “Dear Leader” Conferences live in Maryland (7/14), Los Angeles (11/16), and Lagos (2/8/25)
He is married to Nike Adeyemi, a social entrepreneur, and they are blessed with three children. Dr. Sam and Nike founded Daystar Christian Centre, growing it from a small congregation to one that now reaches millions around the world.
Learn more at SamAdeyemi.com.
