There are significant benefits to be gained from “Deep Listening” and “Living the Questions.” These practices are essential when fostering sustainable and regenerative collaboration in leadership, collegiality, and teams, as they challenge us to rethink how we reflect, learn, and create. But what does “Deep Listening” entail, and what does it mean to “Live the Questions”?
In a world where workplaces face constant change and complex challenges, there is a growing need to develop new ways of understanding and working together. Central to this transformation is the practice of deep listening and the ability to live the questions—to open ourselves to what we can learn both from others and from within.
The ability to listen and to be driven by a curiosity for learning is key to developing strong Conversational Capital1 within organisations. The quality of conversations about shared tasks and purpose is critical to collaborative outcomes. This involves not only speaking but also genuinely listening and being guided by sincere curiosity. This applies equally to listening inwardly and reflecting on our own reactions, emotions, and behaviours.
In his book “Designing Regenerative Cultures”, author and activist Daniel Christian Wahl2 writes:
“Living the questions, practicing deep listening, and learning from different ways of knowing are all processes that can transform consciousness, thereby enabling cultural and behavioral change. By living the questions more deeply, they can guide us toward a regenerative culture characterised by fairness, sustainability, and justice.”
This idea transcends theoretical visions, becoming concrete practices that can enhance workplace collaboration, strengthen collegial leadership, and promote both collective and individual meaning-making. This article explores how deep listening—to others, to ourselves, and to our feelings and reactions—alongside living the questions, can transform workplace cultures toward a regenerative future.
Deep Listening: Outward and Inward
Deep listening goes beyond merely hearing the words spoken to us. It is about being fully present and striving to understand another person’s experience and perspective. However, deep listening also involves listening to ourselves—not just to the words we speak but also to the emotions and reactions that arise within us as we listen to others.
On the workplace level, practicing deep listening means not only paying attention to the perspectives of others but also becoming aware of our emotional reactions—fear, frustration, excitement, or doubt—and how they influence our understanding and responses. Ignoring these feelings risks losing important nuances in communication and can lead to impulsive reactions that create distance and misunderstandings.
Listening to oneself requires courage: to acknowledge what we are feeling in the moment and to use this awareness to choose how we respond. In a workplace where deep listening is practiced both outwardly and inwardly, a space is created not only for sharing ideas and decisions but also for recognizing emotions and needs. This enhances emotional intelligence across the organisation and enables us to act more consciously and authentically.
In this perspective, learning, practicing, and developing deep listening is a crucial step toward fostering psychological safety.
Living the Questions: A Curious and Open Process
To live the questions is to remain open and curious about the challenges and opportunities we face without seeking immediate or definitive answers. Instead of clinging to fixed ideas or viewpoints, we allow ourselves and our colleagues to explore multiple perspectives and deeper truths.
In a workplace where questions are alive, there is room for doubt and for challenging existing structures and norms. This creates a collective learning space where ideas are evaluated not only based on current efficacy but also on long-term sustainability. It also means being willing to question our own actions and reactions, which can lead to greater self-awareness and personal growth.
Living the questions invites us and our colleagues to wonder why we react or behave in certain ways. By examining these questions, we can uncover deeper motivations and blockages that might otherwise hinder collaboration and development. Being open to such questions—both collectively and individually—fosters a culture where innovation and transformation can emerge.
Collective and Individual Leadership: Reflection as a Catalyst
Leadership in a regenerative culture involves creating conditions where both individual and collective perspectives are central. Deep listening plays a vital role here—not only in relation to others but also to ourselves. As leaders or colleagues, when we listen to our feelings, thoughts, and reactions, we become more aware of how our consciousness shapes the decisions we make.
Individual leadership, in this context, is not limited to those in formal positions of power. It extends to all employees who take responsibility for their actions and decisions. When we are attentive to our emotions and internal responses, we can manage our impulses and act more thoughtfully, promoting a balanced and reflective culture.
Deep listening and living the questions also support collegial leadership. Rather than seeking solutions externally, we encourage finding answers together. This requires opening up to others’ perspectives and fostering a safe environment to share feelings and doubts. A culture of mutual respect and participation emerges when employees feel secure enough to voice their concerns and ideas.
A Regenerative Workplace Culture
A regenerative culture is characterized by deep respect for both people and nature. It is sustainable, just, and equitable. Building such a culture at work requires engaging in deep listening and living the questions. By creating a space where we listen to ourselves and others, we can make decisions more aligned with both personal values and collective goals.
Listening to oneself also helps us better understand how our own needs and emotions affect our work and collaboration. This awareness enables us to take responsibility for our reactions and fosters a workplace where everyone feels heard, seen, and respected.
When questions are alive and deep listening is practiced, the workplace becomes not just a place of productivity but also a space for personal and collective growth. Achieving this requires a willingness to challenge old habits, acknowledge our own reactions, and embrace the possibilities that arise when we truly listen—to ourselves and each other.
What Does This Mean?
Deep listening and living the questions are foundational practices for creating a regenerative workplace culture. They help us understand others and ourselves—our emotions, reactions, and needs. By listening deeply both outwardly and inwardly, we foster greater awareness, respect, and collaboration in the workplace. Ultimately, this depth of listening and questioning can drive the changes needed to build more sustainable, just, and human workplaces.
Some people naturally excel at deep listening and living the questions. Others may need to work harder at it. However, everyone benefits from experimenting, developing, and practicing methods aimed at achieving a regenerative workplace with sustainable collaboration.
This involves cultivating inward attention and being conscious of one’s inner compass through exercises and methods that connect the mind and body, providing tangible and experiential learning—both individually and collectively. Regularly challenging ourselves and each other by incorporating methods such as active communication exercises, curiosity-building practices, art and theatre for developing new insights and strategies, and meditation for deepening presence and wisdom can drive these efforts3.
Ultimately, this work cannot be accomplished simply by reading a book or listening to a podcast. It requires action, practice, and engagement. It demands that we live the questions and listen deeply.
By John Langford, management and organisational consultant, expert in the development of sustainable leadership, teams, and colleague relationships. Associate partner at Facet5, process consultant, expert in regenerative leadership and colleague relationships, optimisation of workplace conversational capital and collegial leadership, business coach.
I use the personality profiling tool Facet5 as both a resource and inspiration for cultivating an inner compass and establishing a conscious and sustainable connection between intention and action. Facet5 offers the SuperSkills report, which describes how your personality traits manifest in your conversational and listening behaviour, and the Spotlight report, which maps your strengths, risks, frustrations, and opportunities in relationships.
The entire Facet5 universe aligns exceptionally well with the development of deep listening and living the questions.
1Conversational Capital is a concept that addresses the interplay between the personal, methodological, and cultural elements within the most critical capital area of all organisations and relationships. Learn more at www.samtalekapital.dk.
2Daniel Christian Wahl is one of the catalysts behind the growing focus on regeneration and the author of Designing Regenerative Cultures, which has been translated into seven languages to date. He works as a consultant, educator, and activist with NGOs, businesses, governments, and global change agents. Learn more at https://www.danielchristianwahl.com.
3I use Otto Scharmer’s Theory U as a framework in programs focused on developing sustainable collegiality, leadership, and teams. On the journey toward new insights, I draw on an extensive repertoire of methods, exercises, and actions. Additionally, I collaborate with Rasmus Lundgreen, who holds a master’s degree in Theatre and Performance Studies, and Inge Schoug, a psychologist, to facilitate regenerative programs.
