Page 28 - Twenty Four Lessons for Mastering Your New Role

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Talk more

Listen more

When you’re an underling, you wind up listening much of the
time while higher-ranking folks do the talking. But now that you’re a
manager, you may think it’s your turn to hold court and make others
listen to you.
Not so fast.
Listening grows even more important when you’re a manager.
Your success depends on your ability to capture every nuance of what
others say, from employees to colleagues to bosses. Tuning out can
prove costly: You might miss critical information, make faulty deci-
sions and draw the wrong conclusions.
You must care about what someone says in order to listen.
Indifferent or preoccupied people struggle to pay attention. But
interested, open-minded individuals listen because they’re eager to
hear a speaker’s concerns, comments and ideas.
Listening would be easy if everyone entertained us when they
spoke. But some people drone on, repeat themselves, or mumble in
a barely audible voice. Our minds drift quickly and, soon enough,
we’re pretending to listen when we’re really daydreaming.
Managers cannot afford to fall into this trap. To absorb what oth-
ers say, note the types of themes or topics speakers choose to raise. If
you’re on the phone, write one-word labels that represent each of
the caller’s main points. This enables you to map out what the speak-
er covers, which will help you remember.
If your mind tends to wander, focus on the here-and-now. Don’t
dwell on the past or worry about the future. Banish irrelevant

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