These 3 highly successful CEOs have 1 soft skill in common—it shows up in different ways: ‘I just think it’s a good process’

Good listening goes beyond occasionally lending an ear. Done well, often and with intention, it can play a role in your future success.

Listening has helped some prominent company leaders, like Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan and billionaire businessman Barry Diller — the former head of Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox — reach new levels of success, the trio said in interviews for episodes of CNBC’s “Leaders Playbook,” a series that aired in January.

Actively incorporating what they heard from their staff, their consumers and their own intuition helped them solve problems and gain competitive advantages, they each said.

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Hearing what people have to say can make you more persuasive, says Alison Wood Brooks, an associate professor at Harvard University and the author of 2025 book, “Talk: The Science Of Conversation And The Art Of Being Ourselves.” If you remember what people say and ask thoughtful questions, you can build trust, genuine relationships and gain influence when you need to unite a team toward a specific goal, she says.