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Rochelle Devereaux Business Efficacy (503) 581-4100 rochelle@businessmasters.com Do you focus on your goal? Did you create one that is achievable and clear? Businesses exist for a purpose. Do you remember why you formed yours? Or, if you are an employee, do you know your company's mission? Can you answer that question immediately and clearly? Your company's success depends on how well you see and follow the plan. Clearly defined goals (mission statements) help in all areas. They focus your marketing, advertising and sales efforts. They impact the types of employees you hire, even determine if you need to hire anyone at all. They drive the products and quality levels you produce. Think about the last time you really focused on your company's goal. Was it recently? Or was it sometime in the past? If you and everyone else in the organization know what you're trying to accomplish; if you all head in the same direction; the company is more likely to succeed. Revisit (or create) your goals. Make sure they are clear. Include measurable activities. Provide benchmarks to evaluate progress. Periodically bring everyone into the process. Keep yourself and your organization in focus. The Listening Corner... Offering potential solutions to business related listening issues. Problem: Our Problem Solving group seems to be led entirely through process by one individual. Others in the group do not actively participate. Why does the Problem Exist? People do not participate for a variety of reasons. These could include:
Reason #2 is more common. If people are ignored or feel put-down when they contribute an idea, they probably won't try again. Reason #3 is also common. The strongest personalities tend to dominate the group, and, if no one has the skill or the authority to stop them, others won't get to be heard. Reason #4 has to do with #2 and #3, as well as personal style. If the individual is shy or soft spoken, it is difficult to speak up in a group. Solution This group appears to suffer especially from a failure to get an opportunity to say anything (Reason #3). How to reclaim the group for everyone? First: The Work Group needs a set of ground rules that specifies that no one person may dominate. Second: The Work Group needs an agenda. An agenda that incorporates an opportunity for each member to speak. Structuring the meetings to ensure full participation is necessary in this scenario. Third: The Work Group needs to enforce its ground rules and agenda. What if you already have those rules and use an agenda, but the dominator still over-rides everyone else? You have what I call a STAGE HOG; someone who only wants to hear the sound of his/her own voice. Overcoming this problem requires assertiveness and assurance. 1. Set the agenda with specified times for each work group member's input. Enforce the time limits. 2. When someone else is talking, and this person interrupts, the speaker (or the group leader) must intervene and regain control. This can be accomplished by holding up a hand in a "stop" motion. Remind the interrupter that someone else has the floor. Point out it is someone else's turn to be heard. 3. If necessary, take the person aside before the meeting and remind them that you have a group effort, and they must listen to the others equally in order to be heard themselves. This is not an easy situation to overcome. It requires a strong focus on keeping the group viable. It involves making sure every group member knows what they must accomplish. And, it means that everyone has to be given an equal opportunity to express their ideas and be heard by the group. If you have a problem with listening in your organization, send your question or concern to: Rochelle Devereaux, Business Efficacy, PO Box 4081, Salem, OR 97302-1081; email: rochelle@businessmasters.com; visit our web site: www.businessmasters.com. Power Listening training programs and audio cassette training tapes are available to help you or your company become more effective listeners. |