Listening We\'ve All Had Encounters With People

Listening

We've all had encounters with people like Miranda Priestly in the workplace. Leaders like her certainly have strong visions and the self-confidence with which to execute their goals. Their position of power also enables them to break all the rules of good communication, such as those outlined in Adler & Proctor's (2011) text Looking Out, Looking In. Miranda Priestly does not always communicate ineffectively. At times the domineering facade falls away to reveal a more sensitive side as she confides in Andrea on a few occasions. In one scene towards the end of the film, Miranda speaks with an uncharacteristically soft tone of voice and does not interrupt as she usually does. However, Miranda hears -- she does not listen. She does not care about what Andrea or anyone else actually has to say because frankly, Miranda Priestly does not have to care. Her role as chief editor of Runway is not being challenged in any significant way and thus, Priestly does not experience the immediate need to change.

Most other leaders would need to completely rethink their communication style if they intend to succeed, motivate a team to achieve its goals, and maintain long-term business success. We can learn from Miranda Priestly's poor listening habits. For example, she does not like to listen to the input, opinions, and especially the objections of other employees. By stifling opposition, Priestly runs a tight ship with a false sense of camaraderie. As Andy shows with her relationship with Emily, camaraderie is not one of Priestly's goals. Miranda generally refuses to listen to others because of her inflated sense of self-importance; she stops listening because she finds everyone else "unimportant or uninteresting," (Adler & Proctor 2011 p. 237). At several occasions in The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priestly overtly looks or acts bored, or actually comes right out and telss people things like "Details of your incompetence do not interest me."

One of Miranda Priestly's most annoying bad listening habits is her incessant interrupting. In the scene with the blue sweater, each fashion consultant raises input or suggestions only to be rudely cut off mid-sentence. Andrea watches with amusement, but the employes being cut off simply never have the chance to contribute their energy to the work at hand. In many organizations, such a poor communication style would never work. Valuable employees like Andrea would end up leaving, just as she did in the movie.

Granted, Miranda Priestly never pretends to listen; she does not engage in what Adler & Proctor (2011) call "pseudolistening," (p. 237). What Priestly does do often is stage-hogging. She shifts focus from others' problems to her own, underscoring her narcissistic attitude. Moreover, Adler & Proctor (2011) note that interruptions are the hallmark of stage-hogging. Priestly does damage relationships with her stage-hogging, which is why she lost Andrea.

In the limo scene in Paris, Miranda also practices insulated listening. When Andrea tells her that she does not want to be the type of person who would betray a coworker, Priestly does not believe her and instead claims, "Everyone wants to be us." At several points in the film, Miranda fails to acknowledge problems, or projects problems on other people. Priestly also comes across as an insensitive listener. Her self-absorption causes her to walk through rooms like a hurricane, slamming her coats on Andrea's desk and asking questions she already "knows" the answers to. She only hears what she wants to hear. When Priestly asks questions, she might listen to the first few words of a response before launching into a diatribe and criticism of the other person. Priestly even uses ambush listening on at least one occasion. In the scene with the "cerulean" sweater, Priestly asks what Andrea found funny. She then used Andrea's meek comments to make a speech about how the fashion industry does everyone a favor.

When Miranda asks Andrea for the Harry Potter manuscript, she will not take no for an answer. She asks ridiculous and sarcastic questions like, "Did you fall down and smack your little head on the pavement?" Priestly expected Andrea to know that it was not the published Harry Potter book she wanted but the one that has not yet hit the shelves. Miranda also uses non-verbal cues to signal her utter disgust with Andrea: rolling her eyes or refusing to make eye contact. She them ambushes Andrea by saying, "Well, we know everyone in publishing, so it shouldn't be a problem should it? And you can do anything. Right?" Miranda Priestly also expects other people to read her mind and anticipate her needs. For example, she once asks for a belt the second after she pulls out a dress from the rack. She states with annoyance, "Why is no one ready?"