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‘Listening is the ultimate core competence’ says Tom Peters.
The topic must be back in fashion. I’ve read two articles in the last month on listening; as well as the three chapters from Tom in ‘The Little Big Things.’
My readings came to mind a few days ago. A member of staff at a client site joked that ‘the problem with you consultants is that you only tell us what we already know.’
If only that was the case. I suspect most consultants, or professional people, don’t have these skills. It’s quite an art to draw out what the client already knows; to let them think things through and offer an environment for them to do this.
I suppose the difficultly stems from being an expert. The situation has been seen many times before. After all, you’re being paid to tell it as you see it. A colleague once told me the solution in the car on the way to a new client meeting – isn’t that the expertise the client is paying for?
Years ago I read a book by Nancy Kline on listening and not making assumptions. It was a great book. For months I sat in meetings observing people and wondering why people bothered attending if they’d already made their mind up. Read the rest of this entry »