The Executive Coach

If listening is the key to getting business, why are so many people not good at this skill?

Selling a product, service or yourself in a job interview, is not about focusing on the selling process. You need to reframe your thinking and focus on the buying process.

Who is your prospective client or employer? What are there needs, concerns and future directions? All of the secondary research that you may conduct will provide a basic overview of your client. To understand them and their buying process, you need to ask relevant and significant questions with the intent of listening to: what is said, how it is said, in what order, with what tone and with what body language.

A key to effective listening is active listening, where the receiver clarifies what has been said by summarizing with a statement that begins with, “What I hear you saying is …”

Putting It Into Action:

The next time you have a meeting, try the following:
1) Don’t develop opinions before listening
2) Don’t have conclusions before listening
3) Listen with the intent of truly understanding and getting to the heart of the matter
4) Ask probing questions
5) Focus only on the speaker and what is being said
6) Only once all of the above are done, listen with the intent to respond

The key is to practice, practice and then practice. Ask mentors or coaches to provide you with feedback on your listening progress. Look for patterns of interruption, focusing on what you will say or tuning out. Take actions to continuously reduce your non-listening actions.

With you along the path towards success,
Joseph

Did you know that the first 90 days as a manager or leader are critical for long-term success?

The first 90 days with a new employer can be challenging and risky. Most firms have a 3 to 6 month probation period for this exact reason. The risk is high, the cost of failure, even higher.

After talking to hundreds of Human Resources professionals, on boarding experts and managers, I am convinced that you can turn challenge into opportunity by executing flawlessly the following 10 steps:

1) Build Relationships (up, down and sideways in your organization).
2) Get to know your team and internal stakeholders; discover: what do they do, what are there strengths, what are there workplace preferences, then try to adjust your plans accordingly.
3) Learn and appreciate cultures, behaviours and individual preferences.
4) Listen, observe and ask questions (especially if you are new to the industry or function).
5) Get clarity and buy in on expectations (both for you and from you).
6) Be visible, approachable and open.
7) Don’t make huge changes; focus on more visible projects that are likely to yield results in the first 90 days.
8) Be true to yourself; tell people what your preferences are and how to get the best from you.
9) Ask for help
10) Repeat steps 1-9 for your most important customers and suppliers, only after your internal relationships are well established

Putting It Into Action:

Actions speak louder than words. Focus exclusively on people and establishing relationships, which will result in getting understanding and winning support for projects. People will want to know your values, preferences and vision for the future. Share openly, communicate often, communicate again, check for clarity.

With you along the path towards success,
Joseph

What does a cognitive condition have to do with the new economy?

Attention Deficiency Disorder is on the rise in western society. We are also spending more time multi-tasking, devoting what we think is full attention to a number of tasks at once. The reality is, the older we get, the less we can focus on more tasks at the same time. The X Generation and Y Generation that are our consumers and employees think that they can do it better, this is debatable.

The internet has permanently altered all of us as people. A recent survey showed that 69% of X’s and Y’s time is spent on-line or with various forms of media. That leaves 31% of their time for work; these numbers were the exact reverse only five years ago. You Tube was barely a blip on our radar screens a year ago, now they get one of the highest daily hit rates and visitors are staying on their site for a whopping 108 minutes. How long do you think people are spending on your site?

A new practice called Attention Slicing has emerged. Consumers and employees are devoting small slices of their attention at any time to any one source and for increasing shorter periods of time. Consumers want their information and entertainment when and where they want, and they want to be able to customize it to match their personalities, share it, and make it even easier to access.

If you think we are moving too quickly, you would be wrong. We are at the ‘kindergarten’ stage of development.

Putting It Into Action:

Your leadership, your firm and your personal brand need to adjust to this new reality of attention slicing. What can you do to make your message stand out, be more visual, add impact, be more accessible? One way is to register your own personal domain name. Then upload any materials that would give people a window into who you are as a person. The more visual your material, the better. Always invite people to provide their feedback and input. Visit some of the most popular blogs that Xers and Ys read. Begin to publish your own Blog and again allow people to comment.

With you along the path towards success,
Joseph