A particular company once had a motto: one picture is worth 1000 words. That may be true. But there is one word that if internalized is worth not pictures or words, but thousands of dollars – even millions of dollars. And this word was taught to me by a 17-year-old boy. You may have heard my story before–I relate it in my book “The Wrong Bottom Line . . . Still,”– but it holds the key to the million dollar word.
A number of years back, one of my sons came home from a high school event. He was upset – very upset. I, the all-knowing father, began to “fix” the problem. In frustration, this young man exclaimed to me “dad, shut up and listen – please just listen!” I was stunned. My children did not talk to me that way. Caught off guard, I stopped talking. At that point my child began to unload a flood. After he had purged his frustration, he then asked for my input.
The word and the concept I learned at that point was to shut my mouth and open my ears and my mind to learning– to listening.
Too many bosses, too many directors, too many supervisors, too many teachers, too many parents talk too much and listen too little. The foundation for the greatest success is built on openness and willingness to learn. We don’t learn much when our mouths are open. We do when we close our mouths and open our ears–when we listen.
Listen to your patrons. Listen to your associates. Listen to those you supervise. Don’t listen as a courtesy. Listen to learn. In my interview with worker after worker, I find great ideas that no one in the upper bracket wants to listen to. Listening builds teamwork,. Listening improves operations. Listening builds morale and support. Listening saves businesses and increases profits.
Businesses can be saved, operations made more effective and efficient, disputes dissipated, relationships improved, and sales increased, if we but employ the million dollar word: listen.
A number of years back, one of my sons came home from a high school event. He was upset – very upset. I, the all-knowing father, began to “fix” the problem. In frustration, this young man exclaimed to me “dad, shut up and listen – please just listen!” I was stunned. My children did not talk to me that way. Caught off guard, I stopped talking. At that point my child began to unload a flood. After he had purged his frustration, he then asked for my input.
The word and the concept I learned at that point was to shut my mouth and open my ears and my mind to learning– to listening.
Too many bosses, too many directors, too many supervisors, too many teachers, too many parents talk too much and listen too little. The foundation for the greatest success is built on openness and willingness to learn. We don’t learn much when our mouths are open. We do when we close our mouths and open our ears–when we listen.
Listen to your patrons. Listen to your associates. Listen to those you supervise. Don’t listen as a courtesy. Listen to learn. In my interview with worker after worker, I find great ideas that no one in the upper bracket wants to listen to. Listening builds teamwork,. Listening improves operations. Listening builds morale and support. Listening saves businesses and increases profits.
Businesses can be saved, operations made more effective and efficient, disputes dissipated, relationships improved, and sales increased, if we but employ the million dollar word: listen.
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