Tom
Peters’ briefly talked about the importance of listening by providing an
example of the healthcare industry. He states that strategic strength comes
from strategic listening rather than a strategic plan (Peters, 2009). As
leaders, it is critical to listen to your followers since each person’s beliefs
and thoughts are considered as valuable information: which is necessary for
effective decision making (Nosich, 2012). While cutting conversations short may
save some time, many people find it rude: causing leaders to not only obtain
less information, but struggle maintaining a positive relationship.
When I
was working on my bachelor’s degree, I had an unusual question pop up, and my
academic adviser referred me to speak to a professor at the math department.
After exchanging introductions with the professor, I started to have
difficulties understanding her. The professor had a very thick accent and spoke
rather swiftly. As someone with a hearing disability, it was important to inform
her before she got too far in the conversation. When attempting to do so, she
kept cutting me off and continue where she left off. After a few more attempts,
she finally yelled at me telling me to let her finish. Just before I could
finish my sentence, she again cut me off and asked me to leave because of my
"disruptive behavior".
At the
end of the conversation, I felt mistreated and believed that reporting the
incident was reasonable. After going back and forth with the school for a week,
I finally received an email from the same professor. Because of the way she
yelled during the last visit, I felt pretty hesitant to see her. Upon arrival, we
exchanged greetings and she immediately apologized and admitted that she
assumed that I wanted to ask questions during the middle of her conversation. In
the end, I accepted her apology, and she was able to help me out.
There
were a few things that can be drawn out and tied to Tom Peters’ explanation on
the importance of listening. The first was that miscommunication (or lack of
information) occurred because of the lack of listening. According to Blundell, some
reasons why people talk over each other is because it’s a narcissistic or a battle
for power (Blundell, 2015). Although I don’t have the full understanding of the
professor’s thinking, I believe that she might have cut me off because of her
position at the university. As a professor, they have a lot of knowledge on the
academics than the student. Because of this, she showed “who’s boss”, but at the
same time might have assumed that my statements were least important and can
wait.
While
cutting people off causes miscommunication, it also causes emotional issues to
occur. I was upset about being cut off in general, however it was her tone and
facial expression that really put an effect. Each time I attempted to stop the
professor, she was progressively raising her voice and her facial expressions
began to change. Clearly seeing this, I also began to respond the same way (McDonald
and Messinger, n.d.). As leaders, despite facing a difficult situation, it is
important to always stay positive since this will help people regain
confidence, and become more motivated: which eventually results in more
efficient functions (Somogyi, 2013).
References:
Blundell, A.
(2015). 7 reasons people talk over the top of others [Video file]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1PQRZojlXQ
Nosich, G.D.
(2012). Learning To Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across
the Curriculum. Boston: Pearson Education.
Peters, T.
(2009). Tom Peter’s Leadership Thoughts: Listening [Video file]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwB7NAvKPeo
Somogyi, R.,
Buchko, A., & Buchko, K. (2013). Managing with empathy: Can you feel what I
feel? Journal of Organizational Psychology. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1470425153/fulltextPDF/CE275E3C16174E05PQ/1?accountid=27203
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