Management
Step out of the blame game
Marilyn the manager was exasperated.
“If we can’t blame people for screwing things up how are we ever going to hold people accountable? The place will descend into chaos” she moaned.
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Management
Who's to blame?
Why blame is such a silly thing to do! In a sales training workshop I was running a participant argued that if he made a mistake with an order it was his fault, and his fault alone. I had been teaching systems thinking and how blame was not helpful for business.
Listening
The power of listening
Listening can be the hardest part of a being a great manager or colleague.
There is always a lot going on in the other person’s life that they are trying to understand, make sense of and cope with.
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Listening
Listen – don't rescue
I was doing a big ‘download’ recently with a friend. I seemed to have a jumble of problems that I needed to name out loud. At first he offered a suggestion to each thing I said: “Have you tried this…” or “It could help if you …”
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Listening
Monkeys on your back – a trap for caring listeners
How many monkeys are on your back?
A listener can be tempted to take on the problems of those they listen to. They can end up carrying everyone’s problems without realising what they have done.
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Listening
Slow down to listen well
Julie came barging into her manager’s office. “OMG – we have a crisis. The customer at the counter is very upset and I don’t know what to do?”
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Listening
Good listeners don't get sucked in
Setting boundaries is a real challenge if you want to build strong relationships with colleagues, especially if you are a manager.
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Listening
Listen so that others will speak
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Listening
What external influences are affecting your listening?
A study on sentencing judges found that the judges were more lenient after taking a break, or early in the morning.
In quoting this study, Dr. Emily Beausoleil of Massey University Wellington suggested that at these times when you are relaxed and not so stressed you will be more sympathetic to hearing what the other person is saying.
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Listening
Good listening is contagious!
Did you know, that when you smile and attend to somebody by listening, you activate the mirror neuron receptors in their brains?
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