Are You Really Listening? Three Takeaways
WAIT — Why Am I Talking? Three habits I took from Kevin Sharer's piece on going from know-it-all bully to someone who actually listens.
Are You Really Listening? - Takeaways
The more I work with others, the more I realize the importance of really listening to others. So when I saw that Kevin Sharer, former SEO of Amgen, was writing about how he went from a “know-it-all bully” to someone who actively listens, I figure I would pull some insights from the article and apply them to my own life. Here are my three takeaways that I can use to improve my active listening.
-Apply the WAIT principle: WAIT is a mental reminder to ask myself "Why Am I Talking?" Am I trying to show off how smart I am or prove a point at someone's expense? The WAIT principle gives me a moment to pause, check-in with myself, and notice unhelpful behaviors.
-Create structures that allow people to share: Just saying "Give me your options" is not enough. I should create structures that give people a safe place to share constructive criticism and bad news.
-Give permission to share bad news: Personally, there are few things I fear more than when I don't know what I don't know. So it's essential to give people the ability to have a safe space to share bad news.