Emanet the Art of Generous Listening
It’s the ancient skill all comms professionals have and can nurture – and that all business leaders need, to retain, encourage and inspire their employees
When Vuslat was a young girl, her grandmother related to her a fable, a “fairy tale found in all cultures and languages”, as the Istanbul-based business leader, activist and philanthropist says. The story concerns a sparrow, who one day asks a human to safekeep a small twig, or otherwise meagre-seeming object that nevertheless means a great deal to the tiny bird. When the twig is lost, another object of slightly greater value is given to the sparrow to make up for it, who, in turn, entrusts it to another, and another and another, with the same result – the object changing all the while, until the perceived value unnecessarily becomes steeper and steeper after a succession of people have failed to properly care for it. “I lived with this fairy tale for some time, and really contemplated the essence of it,” says Vuslat.
Key to the story is a Turkish word and concept known as ‘Emanet’ – also the name the self-taught artist has given to her second art exhibition at the Baksi Museum in northeast Turkey, through which she hopes to start a global conversation. Emanet embodies the values of trust, devotion, loyalty, and guardianship. “It means to protect and safeguard something that’s needed for us with great attentiveness,” she says. “It’s a solid agreement of trust, a precious promise and a commitment from both sides.” Indeed, in traditional Turkish culture, to betray Emanet is considered something of a cardinal sin.
Tied up with this concept, is another skill, that Sabanci expounds through her own Vuslat Foundation: that of “generous listening” – the art of listening to ourselves, each other, and nature with generosity, which in turn leads to understanding, empathy, and better collaboration. For Vuslat, the skill of active listening is a real preventive medicine: and through its promotion, via her foundation, and her art, she means to “start a movement that creates a listening climate” for the furtherance and promotion of social change and global healing.
“Travelling to Turkey’s northeast region, I sat in the mountains and listened to the sound of the birds, even to the pulse of the earth,” she says. “Nature is the most significant Emanet we will bestow upon future generations… our current state of affairs is due to our prolonged disregard for the messages conveyed by nature.”
Vuslat, incidentally, walks it like she talks it: a noted human rights campaigner, especially in gender equality, her efforts have resulted in a law on domestic violence, a platform to gather all non-profit organisations formed around issues concerning women, and an increase in the number of female MPs in Turkey.
But it’s that aforementioned concept of generous listening that especially concerns us, and which should be of interest to all comms professionals. Formerly CEO and chair of Hürriyet — Turkey’s largest independent newspaper, Vuslat’s journalism and activism background led her to the importance of what she calls “hearing beyond words” and “listening with your heart’s ear.” Empathy, in other words; the hallmark of her life and art. “If we can create a climate of listening in education, society, business and government then there is space for conflicts to play out before they turn into crises,” she says.
And in the immediate world of work, if the ‘great resignation’ and ‘quiet quitting’ tell us anything, it’s that leaders have failed to listen generously to their employees. “We have missed the growing level of discontent that has been brewing,” she told Davos 2023. “Only true meaningful interactions, not shallow transactions, can create these connections.” Generous Listening has been seen to improve employee job performance, job knowledge, wellbeing, and psychological safety. And, she says, it’s the skill we need most in this new world of work.
She broadly defines the skill as “engaging with both the heart and the mind”, entailing “understanding, empathy, better collaboration and genuine connectedness”, and fostering inclusive and diverse workplaces in which employees feel valued. An atmosphere in which generous listening is practiced can reduce burnout and stress, while providing a psychological safety net and an environment for workers in which they can thrive.
Vuslat’s tips include: being fully present – that is, clearing your mind and setting aside personal frustrations. “Don’t try to formulate your answers as they speak, multi-task or let your mind wander. Remain present and attentive,” she says. By focusing entirely on the speaker, and putting away distractions such as phones and laptops, you can also show your attentiveness by turning your chair towards them.
It entails actively striving to understand another person’s perspective without judgment or personal biases. It involves embracing curiosity and seeing listening as a chance to learn from others. “You will likely be pleasantly surprised to find that we all come from one common shared experience and there are traces of each of us within the other.”
It means prioritising respect and avoiding interrupting or disengaging with team members. “When you meet a person try to think of listening as a free learning opportunity,” she advises. “Leaders should strive to be attentive, caring and attuned to the underlying rhythms and moods of their team, generously listening far beyond words and picking up the subtle cues that reveal more.” By being genuinely tuned in to these unspoken cues, leaders are best able to set an example and lay the groundwork for a more collaborative and empathetic work environment.
While generous listening in the workplace is “no easy endeavour,” as Vuslat says, by making these adjustments at a crucial turning point, “we have the opportunity to choose to elevate generous listening and to build inclusive systems that encourage diversity of thought, where employees feel valued and can fulfil their potential”.