The communication value chain

If I were to plot a "value chain" for effective communication, I suppose there will be four segments in it:

• Segment 1 - Listening: The ability and willingness to listen to what is being said. Most importantly, this implies resisting the urge to pretend to listen while "loading the gun" - mentally preparing for what one is going to say next rather than actually listen
• Segment 2 - Assimilate: Understand what is being said - Often implies the ability to understand the "core issue"
• Segment 3 - Information processing and value addition: Once what was being said is assimilated, process it and add value to it to enable a meaningful response that will take the conversation forward
• Segment 4 - Responding: Speaking out (or maybe gesturing or writing in response) to what was being said

It is no secret that listening is a rare skill. I have noticed that the sharper one is about grasping what is being said (assimilating - segment 2), higher is the chance that one is a bad listener. This is but natural - If one is sharp and perceptive, one can grasp the "core issue" that is being communicated pretty quickly and often end up interrupting the speaker with the response (sharp people usually work through segments 2 to 4 pretty quickly).

Now this is a problem. Leaders, in business as in any other field, need to be sharp people with the ability to get to the "core issue" quickly. But they also need to be good listeners - bad listeners rarely lead well. So how can sharp people train to be good listeners?