Listening – McAlister Tactical Strategies

Part One

I’ve always appreciated the adage about not being able to ‘see the forest for all the trees.’ I have experienced this phenomenon from within the forest and from the outside. At times I find myself getting bogged down in the specifics, unable to see what is going on around me. At other times I feel it’s my colleagues who are lost in the forest.

In business, as in life, there has to be a balance between having a handle on the details and seeing the big picture.

“Having the big picture in mind enables us to overcome the day to day routines that attempt to distract us from pursuing our dream.” ― Assegid Habtewold

From my perspective seeing the big picture is the ability to consider the connections between actions and the consequences, intended or otherwise. When considering actions to take and various alternatives, decisions need to take into account both short-term and long-term ramifications.

Leadership must keep the team focused on the activities contributing to the goals of the organization. Leaders need to see and understand the forest around them to help guide the team forward. The success of the plan executed today will impact the organization’s success tomorrow and well beyond.

The next three blog entries will explore specific areas where leaders can keep their teams focused and productive while keeping the big picture in view. Here are the areas we will explore:

Establish Meaningful Goals

Look for the second entry titled, ‘Goal Management for Success’.

To paraphrase the poet Robert Burns, ‘The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

Setting meaningful and tangible goals is essential to the success of all business. It is also very important to recognize that changes taking place within the business climate will drive the need to adjust the goals from time to time. I will describe a simple process for setting goals and adjusting them to drive the business forward.

Select Essential Metrics

I will address the why and how of establishing metrics in the third blog entry, ‘Meaningful Metrics’.

“What’s measured improves.” Peter Drucker.

Once the goals are set, it is important for leaders to choose the metrics that can be used as markers for the progress of the business toward achieving the goals, and that can accurately measure the health of the organization.

Effective Communication

Finally I will discuss the team’s ability to communicate successfully. Check out the fourth entry, ‘Effect Communication’ for more tips on improving communication.

“Good leadership starts with good communication.” Unknown

Communication amongst the team and across the organization is a key to success. Providing frequent, succinct, and useful information to the team will keep everyone engaged in the business. The manner in which meetings are conducted can have a huge impact on the effectiveness of the team. One on one communication is also very important between the leader and each team member. Lastly, communication associated with business performance results can motivate the team.

So look for the next three blogs as I provide advice on how to ‘thin out’ the forest and make a positive impact on your organization.

Photo credit: Depositphotos.com 7985468 by vovan13

Problem-Solving in the “Short Attention Span Theater”

In my 33 years of corporate experience I’ve learned that above all else, being a good listener is the true secret to success. I’ve always followed the adage that since we have two ears and one mouth, we should listen twice as much (at least) as we talk. Listening to understand is critical to finding solutions.

Time is money, and though eliminating the problem quickly and effectively is always good for business, it may not always seem feasible or efficient to take the time and make the space to listen.

What gets in our way? Information is coming from multiple media sources and there are always additional mitigating circumstances, e.g., e-mail, texts, and phone calls, contributing to the inability to listen and focus. In other words, there is a lot of noise. This constant barrage of ‘noise’ divides our attention, therefore, I refer to the current workplace as the ‘short attention span theater’.

A casualty of this situation is the ability to listen for understanding and I fear it is becoming a lost art. Being a good listener is a matter of common sense. But as a good friend of mine likes to say: “Common sense ain’t so common.”

The manufacturing environment can be visually and audibly distracting and this can interfere with problem solving. If a Supervisor is trying to ask their Manager for help in improving the efficiency of the widget machine, it’s imperative the Manager hears and understands exactly what the Supervisor is saying. Otherwise, the Manager may address the wrong issue and inadvertently waste valuable time and resources while not correcting the problem.

Here are three key factors to keep in mind when listening to understand:

Be Present. A lot of non-verbal communication takes place during a discussion and one of the biggest ‘turn-offs’ is when the story-teller feels like they don’t have the complete attention of their audience. Good listeners show they are 100% engaged in the discussion. In the example above, the Manager could move to a quieter, distraction-free area for the discussion. They could also turn off walkie-talkies and not use their cell phones to ensure there are no interruptions. Focus is key.
Be Empathetic. It’s important to show that you ‘can feel their pain’ when being told about an uncomfortable or difficult situation. Being sincerely empathetic shows that you truly understand what they are going through and how it is affecting them. In our example, the Manager could relate to their experience with the widget machine and the Supervisor, to let them know they have faced similar issues and had the same frustrations. Making a connection improves communication.
Have an open mind. Good listeners show their audience that they are not making any judgments or jumping to conclusions in the middle of the discussion. The story-teller will not be inclined to disclose all of the details if they feel they are going to be cut off before they finish telling their side of the story. Using the example, the Manager could refrain from blurting out how to fix the problem at the beginning of the discussion. The Manager could listen to everything the Supervisor had to say and then together they come to agreement on the best course of action. An open mind creates an open dialogue.

The words of Dale Carnegie can be very helpful when starting a discussion, “And so I had him thinking of me as a good conversationalist when, in reality, I had been merely a good listener and had encouraged him to talk.” From the book, ‘How to Make Friends and Influence People’.

For more pointers on how to be a good listener, check out ‘9 Things Good Listeners Do Differently’ by Lindsay Holmes (posted on Huffingtonpost.com 8/14/2014).

Problem-solvers in the organization will be much more effective if they have good listening skills. Being able to evaluate a situation accurately is a skillset needed by everyone in the business world.

I’ve had the honor of seeing many changes in how things work (or don’t work) over the years and I don’t see the world getting any less complicated in the near future. Technology will increase the flow of information (creating more noise) and this will contribute to shortened attention spans. Knowing how to listen will become an increasingly valuable skill in the short attention span theater.

Tag: Listening

Is Your Forest Too Dense?

Problem-Solving in the “Short Attention Span Theater”