| |
Put It Into Practice
Step 1: When an employee shares a problem with you, don't assume he or she is asking for help. Resist the impulse to suggest solutions or to turn the meeting into a coaching session to help the employee work on a developmental need. Recognize that employees are often attempting to give you "front-line intelligence" that they have picked up from contact with the marketplace, customers or organizational peers. Your ability to listen to the message and understand its implications may prove the difference between success or failure. Step 2: Set an expectation of employees that they clarify in the first few sentences of a conversation why they want to talk with you and what result they expect from the conversation. Do they need help in dealing with an issue, or do they have information they believe is of value to you? Do they want to leave the conversation with renewed motivation and a course of action to resolve a problem, or do they simply need confirmation that you have received the message they were attempting to deliver?Step 3: Learn to identify and value the "barking dogs" within your organization who sense impending danger and provide an early warning system. Translate their emotion-laden concerns into information you can use to avoid strategic and tactical errors.
Listening Posts |
| Wise organizations look for countless ways to gain intelligence about their customers. First on their list of data collection resources are the customer contact ambassadors who daily encounter customers up close and personal. Such organizations make the front line associates valued listening posts by getting their input, respecting their knowledge and seeking their counsel.
--CEO Refresher
Chip R. Bell and John R. Patterson
|
For other ForwardFocus tips, exercises and tools, we invite you to access the Tools section of our web site: www.forwardfocusinc.com
|
|
