active listening

Accelerating Team Commitment

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To build a culture of shared accountability, a team must be capable of constructively debating conflicting perspectives about an issue that requires action. There can be no team commitment to a decision without resolving these differences. Mastering this conflict management process is a vital leadership skill.  Productive conflict dialogue identifies gaps in team members’ positions on the target topic based on their individual experiences and expectations. The skillful use of questions and related discussion are used to explore …

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The Core of Emotional Intelligence

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Leaders with high emotional intelligence (EI) understand their own emotional state, enabling them to more accurately gauge the emotions of others, and to exercise empathy to better understand the genesis of these emotions. Employing empathy stimulates more thoughtful and productive dialogue, accelerating conflict resolution and producing more deliberate decisions. It’s the core ingredient of strong emotional intelligence. Leaders driving change appreciate the role that emotions play in motivating people to invest in change initiatives. Those who master the use of empathy, appreciate …

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The Value of “Why”

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Asking “why“ produces valuable insight.  Asking why requires reflection that leads to understanding, often uncovering root cause. Challenging people to think is what stimulates discovery, solutions and growth.  In a customer relationship setting, asking why establishes what a customer truly values, beyond their expressed need.    In a quality assurance scenario, asking why something happened, after learning what occurred or how it occurred, accelerates the diagnostic evaluation and identification of productive remedies.  In an employee development situation, asking why communicates …

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6 Steps of Listening That Improve Results

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During a recent workshop, Joseph was consumed with his phone. When he did choose to participate with the group, he would ask me to repeat comments or he would interrupt with an untimely question. At one point in the workshop, each participant described the primary problems they were having building their business, and salesman Joseph described his inability to really connect with his customers and prospects. He just couldn’t get them to seriously engage with …

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3 Keys to Successful Proposal Presentations

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Tim was frustrated that his proposals were not being given fair consideration. “They just skip to the last page to check the price,” he complained. “What should I do differently?” Why does one proposal presentation earn customer commitment while another does not? Presenting a proposal is serious business. You typically get one shot to capture your customer’s attention and earn their agreement. 1. As Covey would say, begin with the end in mind. When customers recognize …

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