Rule 3: Keep your mouth shut. I've noticed a lot lately my pension for talking when I'm nervous. And talking when I'm excited. And talking when I'm passionate. This is no surprise for me, but what is sobering is the amount of conversations that I interrupt.
I do it to Cherie the most. She has a long list of Godly qualities, but if nothing else, she still talks to me, AND LISTENS, after 8 years. I've also realized that this problem has been intensified lately as my leadership has begun to grow more. I'm excited and passionate about a cause, which should be on every leader's resume. But it can lead to ignorance. I don't hear people because I'm too concerned with getting my point across, even if it's just a related incident in a casual conversation.
Here's the encouraging part (because this can seem like one of those boomerang problems): if you can master it just one conversation at a time, the less you talk the more people listen. I've found when I go into a conversation determined to speak as little as possible, that when I do speak heads turn and people's body language automatically tells me "You have the stage".
But keep it short. I ramble trying to make sure everyone understands and usually I end up just confusing them. Build a culture that says "When I ask you if you understand, you'd better speak up because that's your chance."
Whether you're a CEO or a high school student, these rules apply.
Post a Comment