Listening is everything - and damn hard to do
Posted by katya on Tue, November 10, 2009The more I Tweet and post on Facebook and blog, the more I am struggling to have time to really LISTEN to people. I don’t want to follow and friend more people than I can sincerely engage with, but perhaps that makes me seem like a diva. This is a condundrum many of us face. All I know is this - I want to err on the side of engagement that is authentic. I want to truly be on the other side of the conversation, at least some of the time. But it is not easy.
At the same time, it has never been so important. In this noisy world, we are pleasantly stunned when someone devotes their full attention to us. Imagine if you did that for the people you want to reach. Imagine what might change.
Bad things happen when we stop paying attention to the people around us. We lose them. Our relationships suffer. Social injustices occur – just ask a homeless person how invisible she feels. Our supporters abandon us. Our customers hate us. (Our customers really hate us – look no further than untied.com, a website devoted to people frustrated their complaints are not heard by United Airlines.)
Extraordinary things happen when we recognize people – when we truly hear, see and acknowledge them. Listening – just listening, simple as it is – creates great relationships, strong societies, powerful organizations and profitable, popular businesses.
I have to have more time to do it.
How do you make the time?
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