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Active listening is one of the most important skills of interpersonal communication that requires lifelong training (West and Turner 2009). Five levels of listening have been identified, namely, passive, marginal, projective, sensitive, and active listening (Bhardwaj 2008; Verma 2015). In passive listening, the listener is rather indifferent to the content of discussion, making a change in his thought trends and ongoing ideas improbable. In marginal listening, the listener only engages in superficial understanding of the discussion without allowing a significant change in his thought trends. In projective listening, the listener absorbs the information in accordance with his own frame of reference. The opposite of projective listening is sensitive (or empathetic) listening, in which the listener understands the viewpoint of the speaker without distorting it with his own perspectives. In active listening, the listener demonstrates a genuine interest in speaker's viewpoint, pays full attention to the speaker's words, speech tone, and body language, and accurately analyzes, interprets, and remembers the provided information (Bhardwaj 2008). The most‐effective form of listening is active listening, which, when combined with sensitive listening, can bring to fruition a charismatic leadership. Active listening is a dynamic endeavor that requires attributes that include, but are not limited to, serious concentration, empathy, nonjudgmental attitude, interest in the speaker, patience, and willingness to take responsibility to fully comprehend the information, and to interpret the meanings and provide feedback (Bhardwaj 2008; Hoppe 2011). As for active listening, we should refer to a statement by Peter Drucker, an Austrian American management consultant: “The most important thing in communication is to hear what is not being said.” In a cross‐cultural leadership setting – commonly seen in academic institutions – active listening is a key to closing the cultural gaps (Whitfield 2014), which can ultimately lead to workplace security and more productivity.

Observation goes the same way as with active listening. Observation is operationally defined as looking with a prepared mind for the meanings, patterns and trends of the data one receives – essentially by means of seeing, but through all other senses as well – from the environment (Welter and Egmon 2006). Seeing by itself brings about a mix of relevant and irrelevant information; it is through observation with an analytical and prepared mind that information directly linked to a particular situation is separated from a wealth of irrelevant information, leading to a phenomenon known as pattern recognition. Pattern recognition is the cognitive process of internalizing raw data or intangible information, and organizing and translating them into a blueprint that explains a situation (McKee et al. 2013). In lay terms, it entails observing what does and what does not work in different situations (Owen 2013). Pattern recognition is the prerequisite for situational awareness and strategic planning (McKee et al. 2013). Equipped with the art of observation and pattern recognition, a leader is therefore capable of identifying new opportunities and anticipating the course of action that is most likely to succeed in a given circumstance (Owen 2013). There is a positive relationship between empathy and transformational behavior that inspires followers to achieve more than expected (Skinner and Spurgeon 2005). It has been shown that empathy and emotional intelligence strengthen a leader's pattern recognition skills as the emotional information coming through empathy empowers the leader to understand the range of issues his team faces and to take the actions necessary to coordinate the team (Wolff et al. 2002).

The 70 : 20 : 10 model for competency building and leadership development –suggested by McCall and colleagues at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) – states that successful leaders learn about 70% of their lessons from challenging assignments and job‐related experiences, 20% from their relationships and feedbacks they receive, and 10% from formal training.