Main Idea
Do you have problems with communication? Is your business not going as well as you would like? Has anyone told you that you are just not listening to them? It is most likely that you answered yes to one of those questions. All bosses, employees, partners, spouses, and parents have been told that they don’t listen sometime during the past year. (Maybe in the last 24 hours!!!)
Expansion of Idea
The famous management consultant, Peter Drucker, is quoted as saying “When it’s obvious we’re not being heard, it’s time to listen.” This is true for us in business or in our personal lives. Too often, I think it is someone else’s problem because of a miscommunication, but in reality, it is my problem. I wasn’t listening to what was really going on with a client, a coworker, my spouse, or my kids. They will tell me about some problem and I will nod, say I am sorry and then jump into my problem or topic that I wanted to talk to them about. I have found myself doing that.
I hope that I have gotten better but I still find that I have to suppress my desire to say something. This is critical for helping our businesses and our lives. Customers want to be heard. Employees want to be heard. When we can tap into those two pools of information, our businesses can thrive, even in the current economy. Right now, there is huge opportunity because people do not take time to listen. Go out and practice this. If you need duct tape to keep your mouth shut, go buy some.
Areas to Start to Apply the Art of Listening
Customers & Employees
Vendors & Service Providers
Spouses & Children