Talking about Listening: Ironic, isn’t it?
Listening maybe one of the most undervalued skills I have come across. In this episode I explain how simply listening caused savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is one skill you need to work on as a leader! If you want help in developing this skill, contact me: shane@shanekuchel.com. #LeadershipDevelopment #Coaching #Training #WorkingGenius
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Let me tell you a story! I was starting a brand new job in an industry that I didn’t really understand. Ever felt like a fish out of water? I understood that my staff were severely disengaged and I was coming onto team to help them engage. Have you felt like you had no idea how to achieve the task ahead? I remember walking into the offices with my staff and seeing the glaring looks. What are you doing here?
It wasn’t a positive start. I figured that if I was going to get anywhere I needed to create repore with these staff and the best place to start was to ask them their stories. Boy, did I get their stories! Along with a few cuss words and plenty of anger. That first day was not a pleasant one.
Over the following weeks I spent more time listening and learning about my staff, about their roles, what they loved, what they hated and why they were disengaged. I started asking questions about what they would like to see and how we could possibly get there. One by one, those staff started coming around.
Fast forward a couple of years and my staff held a special morning tea for me. They shared a few secrets with me.
The morning that I walked into the office for the first time they had all arrived early and were discussing how they should leave. They had seen my Linkedin profile, they couldn’t understand why I should be their boss and they were ready to go. They had been mistreated up to that point as the result of a corporate takeover and they had had enough. However, then I took the time to listen to each one. I let them vent, and I didn’t try to Lord it over them. We became one of the most productive teams I have worked with. Our company started winning awards within our association for increased revenue. And if we use commonly accepted dollar figures for losing and re-training staff, simply listening saved that company, conservatively, $600,000.
The more that I listen to people, the more I realise how powerful it is. Can I suggest that as leaders, many of us have forgotten the art of listening. Myself included! I talk more than I should too! We need to learn to listen more. It might be the easiest way to save money in your business.
If you want to do some research on listening, subscribe to my Newsletter by the link in the show notes. I have a few extra great resources to help you become a better listener. Or if you are about to head into any meetings today, take some curiosity with you. Be a listener. I’m curious to find out how it goes!