How do you create an environment where your direct reports feel comfortable enough to tell you what they think rather than what they think you want to hear? Start by building trust. Trust and respect — why are these so important in the working relationship? Honesty and integrity are basically…
How To Become Who You Want To Be
How can we progress from knowing what kind of person we want to be, to actually becoming that kind of person? I am asked that question a lot in my coaching practice. It comes from people’s perception that they are not satisfied with their current reality, and a need…
10 Tips to Improve Your Listening Skills
Decide to listen! At the start of every business discussion, make the commitment to listen actively to the other person. A good listener is highly valued. Focus on what the speaker is saying, and don’t use that time to think of what your response will be. Listen with respect. Even…
Did I hear what you said correctly?
In his book Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others, James Flaherty (2010) stated that “language forms the basis for observation and it is, in fact, not possible to make any observation outside language” (p. 25). So how is language defined in this context? Flaherty’s contention is that “language is an orientation…
Sorry, I just assumed…. Making assumptions – not listening to understand,
One of the biggest mistakes we can make – and believe me, I do this all the time – is making assumptions when talking to someone. You are going along quite nicely in a conversation, listening intently and nodding in agreement, but all along making assumptions about the person’s the…