Firm named leader in Africa on listening, inclusive culture

Heirs Life Assurance has been named leader in Africa on listening and inclusive culture.

The firm got the recognition at a 4-day training facilitated by The Listening School for members of its executive management.

The title of the course is Listening Intelligence for Leaders and Teams (LIFT), which is the flagship, being the first in Africa to facilitate Listening Intelligence as part of leadership strategy.

Speaking at the event, Managing Director, Heirs Life Assurance Limited, Mr. Niyi Onifade, said: “We’re proud to be recognised for our sustained commitment to an inclusive listening culture where all Heirs Life Assurance people can belong and thrive.

“Our people are the core of who we are as a company, and our culture of listening is vital to our long-term success. We are keeping ourselves honest and accountable by continuing to actively seek out, listen to, and incorporate the viewpoints of all stakeholders.”

Heirs Life Assurance were keen to ensure that each of her staff was equipped with the skills to succeed in their role and with their team. To achieve this, the company partnered with The Listening School to design a programme that enhances leadership capabilities, promotes real-time problem solving, and increases productivity through listening intelligence.

The participants came from a wide variety of backgrounds with diverse professional experience, so providing training solution that is tailored to meet the needs of each individual, was a key priority.

This interactive four-session course provided training and guidance that enabled participants to understand their listening preferences, recognise the listening preferences of others, and adapt to circumstances and people in real-time without any form of bias or prejudice.

The organisation’s top ranking on this list is a result of survey respondents rating it on criteria such as consistency in leadership capability, behaviours, underlying mindsets and beliefs, as well as general diversity.

One participant noted that in her previous jobs, because of misunderstandings and miscommunications, she often kept to herself. After Listening Intelligence for Leaders and Teams capacity-building programme, “I have been speaking to more people in my workplace, listening more and this is helping me grow in my role and allowing me to learn from more experienced and expert colleagues.”

The Heirs Life Assurance team is now exploring building listening intelligence skills into their wider recruitment and development processes.

Founder and CEO, The Listening School, Mrs Ebele Chukwujama, said, “our content is diverse, modern, hands-on and versatile, and distinguishable. We want to continue to help individuals understand their listening preferences, recognise the listening preferences of others and adapt how they communicate accordingly, resulting in a more inclusive workplace and a culture where people feel comfortable and confident to do their best at work.

“We also want to remain very conscious about adding value to corporate organisations, focusing on advocating listening Intelligence as part of their leadership strategy.