Company Blog

Listen Up!

by Adam Zack — June 19, 2015

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

– Stephen R. Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

I know this guy who never lets anyone finish their sentence. Never. It could be something as simple as: (me) “So we packed a six pack of tall boys and then…” (him) “Went down to the beach?” Or it could be something complex like: (me) “Then you attach the ground wire before you “(him) “connect the Johnson valve to the kanuter circuit?” (No!) So we all do it sometimes, especially when the person speaking hesitates a second. It’s kind of (and by kind of I don’t mean in a good way) a natural reaction. But as it started to happen more and more, I started noticing and paying attention to how much it really was irritating. I mean, what says “I really don’t give a flip about what you have to say” more than not even letting the person finish their sentence? And because of this guy, I noticed that I was doing the same thing sometimes, and when I stopped to actually listen to the conversation, I noticed how irritating I sounded by not letting people finish their sentence. I sounded like a know-it-all who really didn’t know it all. It comes down to really listening (and by listening I do not mean hearing) what the other person has to say. The greatest problem solvers and managers are those that actually listen before replying. They listen and consider before taking action. They make good decisions because they have listened to all the facts. Our parents tried to teach us as kids (“Just shut up and listen!”) but along the way we just didn’t listen very well. So next time you move to anticipate what the person you are talking to has to say, bite your tongue and let them finish. Or you can be short tempered like me and blurt “Can I just finish my sentence for once!”, thereby really fouling up the conversation.