Listening - The Powerhouse Management Tool
Listening - The Powerhouse Management Tool
Yet, so often, managers waste this valuable information gathering time by telling their own story, instead of listening to others and really hearing.
Listening closely is valuable because:-
* You show real interest in the other person, thus building strong, trusting relationships.
* You get great information, which can help you gather the ‘intelligence’ you need to the best decisions.
* Your people will tell you much more, once they realise that you take notice of what they are saying.
* It enables you to take up other’s ideas and thoughts which will add to whatever skills and capabilities you have.
* Hearing others will set them off thinking and developing themselves as they are triggered, by the thought flow which comes as they speak to you.
* Involving others closely not only creates better outcomes, but it also takes some of the burden from the top of the management tree.
* Your listening to one, encourages others to talk to you as the word gets out that you value the input from others.
How to do it – here are ten tips to get you started:-
1. Pay full attention
2. Avoid distractions or being disturbed
3. Acknowledge what you hear by summarizing and reflecting back
4. Make supportive noises
5. Use supportive body language including facial expressions
6. Ask follow up questions to what you hear
7. Show further interest by coming back later for more
8. Deliver some action towards what you hear
9. Be supportive and accepting
10. Ask for help and advice where they might be more of an expert than you
Listening is a hugely valuable contribution to making business relationships work.
Whilst you will have some input to getting the job done right yourself, the very best managers clarify the outcomes expected and let their people get on with delivery. A listening ear provides the support, encouragement and culture to let this happen naturally and constructively.
What’s more, the more you do it, the greater the involvement of your people and the better the return.
Martin Haworth is a business and management coach and trainer, working with a range of clients from corporates to individuals worldwide. www.MartinHaworth.com
Listening The Powerhouse Management Tool - To learn more about this author, visit Martin Haworth's Website.
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Every day we communicate with those around us. At work, as in our lives as a whole, we respond to the information we obtain.
Yet, so often, managers waste this valuable information gathering time by telling their own story, instead of listening to others and really hearing.
Listening closely is valuable because:-
* You show real interest in the other person, thus building strong, trusting relationships.
* You get great information, which can help you gather the ‘intelligence’ you need to the best decisions.
* Your people will tell you much more, once they realise that you take notice of what they are saying.
* It enables you to take up other’s ideas and thoughts which will add to whatever skills and capabilities you have.
* Hearing others will set them off thinking and developing themselves as they are triggered, by the thought flow which comes as they speak to you.
* Involving others closely not only creates better outcomes, but it also takes some of the burden from the top of the management tree.
* Your listening to one, encourages others to talk to you as the word gets out that you value the input from others.
How to do it – here are ten tips to get you started:-
1. Pay full attention
2. Avoid distractions or being disturbed
3. Acknowledge what you hear by summarizing and reflecting back
4. Make supportive noises
5. Use supportive body language including facial expressions
6. Ask follow up questions to what you hear
7. Show further interest by coming back later for more
8. Deliver some action towards what you hear
9. Be supportive and accepting
10. Ask for help and advice where they might be more of an expert than you
Listening is a hugely valuable contribution to making business relationships work.
Whilst you will have some input to getting the job done right yourself, the very best managers clarify the outcomes expected and let their people get on with delivery. A listening ear provides the support, encouragement and culture to let this happen naturally and constructively.
What’s more, the more you do it, the greater the involvement of your people and the better the return.
Martin Haworth is a business and management coach and trainer, working with a range of clients from corporates to individuals worldwide. www.MartinHaworth.com
Listening The Powerhouse Management Tool - To learn more about this author, visit Martin Haworth's Website.
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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