Listening Leaders Archived Edition

December 21, 2005

LISTENING LEADERS ARE GIFT GIVERS

Listening Leaders® are year-long gift givers with a focused purpose. As a result, they are thoughtful and thorough as they constantly provide the gift of each of Kipling’s “six honest serving-men. Listening for “What?”, “Why?”, and “Who?” is the bedrock listening gift, and leaders who focus on the “Where?”, “When?”, and “How?” complete the Listening Leaders® yearly list of gifts.

In an often quoted old nursery rhyme, William Edward Norris wrote: “If your lips would keep from slips, five things observe with care: To whom you speak; of whom you speak; and how, and when, and where.”

In the spirit of Norris, Listening Leaders® will forever profit as they plan their gift giving and learn to recite: “If your ears should keep from tears, and you want your leadership to glisten, just tend to: who, what, why; and, where, when, and how, you listen.”

In this gift giving season, any listener who desires to lead and serve others will heed Kipling’s call and give everyone the special gifts of “six honest serving man.” Throughout the coming year of daily gifting, no one gift can be ignored without adversely diminishing the other gifts. In the process, effective listeners will productively examine, marshal, and gift those they lead with their environments of “Where”, their timing of “When”, and their mechanics of “How”, they listen.

The gift of “Where” is everywhere Listening Leaders® choose to listen. The gift of “When” is always now and whenever it is important. The gift of “How” deserves the best of everyone’s effort.

Thus, our gift is simply to help you with your “gift list.” For some, the shopping is complete and the gifts are wrapped. For others, time is dwindling and panic is setting in. For all listeners, there is room for giving the ultimate and timeless listening gifts of listening of “What, Who, Why, Where, When, Why, and How”, to all.

LISTENING LEADER KNOWLEDGE NUGGET: Listening Leaders® are year-long gift givers on purpose.

For all who celebrate special events throughout the year, gifts from the hearthold the greatest relevance. Regardless of one’s beliefs, celebration and gifting is involved.

For Christians throughout the world, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ as God’s greatest gift. The first celebratory gifts presented to the “King of King’s” by the “Three Kings of the Orient”, Melchior of Persian, Balthasar of Saba, and Caspar of Tarsus was gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish holiday known as the Festival of lights which celebrates the gift of a miraculous military victory in 165 BC, and the miracle of the small cruse of consecrated oil, which burned for eight days in the Temple's menorah instead of just one.

Kwanzaa is a non-religious seven-day long African-American holiday which celebrates family, community, and culture. Created in 1966, Kwanzaa is a celebration of cultural reaffirmation and the values of the African culture, community.

Ramadan is the month-long lunar holiday when Muslims throughout the world celebrate through fasting, chastity, prayer, self-examination, and end with the exchanging of gifts.

Every celebration throughout the world engages listeners involved in meaningful celebration of shared beliefs, productive social interchange, and exchange of meaningful gifts.

So enjoy every special celebration, and remember the insight of John Russell Lowell, who, in 1848, captured the true essence of charity and gift giving in the Vision of Sir Launfal when he wrote, it is:

“Not what we give, but what we share─ For the gift without the giver is bare; Who gives himself with his alms feeds three─ Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.”

LISTENING LEADER TIP OF THE WEEK: Celebrate throughout the year with the true and selfless gift of listening.

GOLDEN CIRCLE LISTENING LEADERS QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

Magnanimity will not consider the prudence of its motives ~ Vauvenargues
You need more tact in the dangerous art of giving than in any other social action ~ William Bolitho No great thing is created suddenly ~ Epictetus
Do not trust the horse Trojans. I fear the Greeks, even when bringing gifts ~ Virgil
If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one ~ Mother Theresa
The test of any man lies in action ~ Pindar
If we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom should we serve? ~ Abigail Adams
Noble deeds are most estimable when hidden ~ Blaise Pascal

A LISTENING LEADER GIGGLE:

Where, when, and how one listens is always important as was recently proven by fellow who liked to celebrate into the wee hours of the morning. At a recent holiday party he was proudly showing his new apartment to his celebrating friends as they passed by a big brass gong and a mallet in the hallway.

“What’s with the big brass gong?” asked one of the celebrating guests.

“It’s not a brass gong. It’s a talking clock,” the apartment dweller responded.

“A talking clock? How does it work?” the guest replied.

With that the fellow of good cheer said, “I’ll show you.” He grabbed the mallet, swung with all his might giving the gong an ear-shattering pound, and stepped back.

His friends stood looking at each other for a moment or two, until suddenly, someone on the other side of the wall screamed, “You idiot, don’t you know it’s three-fifteen in the morning!”

A LISTENING LEADERS KUDOS:

They make a list and check it twice and they know who is naughty and nice. And if you’re not haughty and bother to think twice, you will be neat and leave a treat, for Santa Claus is coming to town. Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday to all!

WE ARE LISTENING and invite your action:

Together, we can change the listening attitudes, skills, and knowledge of leaders throughout the world. We appreciate and invite your assistance in expanding our listening leader’s connections. Simple steps in advancing this important movement include:

For last minute shoppers, go to www.listeningleaders.com and order our Listening Leaders book for all your important family and friends.
Forward this newsletter to your children, grand children, friends and colleagues. More important, invite them to Subscribe to the “complimentary and weekly” newsletter by going to www.listeningleaders.com
Send us your listening leader insights, examples and stories
Start a Listening Leaders Reading and Discussion Group. Invite your Librarian to purchase our Award winning LISTENING LEADER book.
As meeting, conference, and convention attendees spend the bulk of their time listening, please let others know of our availability to Keynote Conventions and customize Listening Leader Workshops.
Invite us to identify specific needs for listening development of leaders in your organizations.
Ask about our special Listening Leader certification process that fully equips you to deliver the Listening Leaders Workshop to your organization.
Make a list of every “Who” speaker who has contributed to your growth by their clarity of speech. Then send them a note of gratitude.

We can help, we are committed, and we are listening.

Listen, Lead On & Make Today Count! – Manny & Rick

__________________________________________________________________

LISTENING LEADERS: THE TEN GOLDEN RULES
TO LISTEN, LEAD & SUCCEED

By Dr. Lyman K. Steil
& Dr. Richard K. Bommelje

Publisher: Beaver’s Pond Press
(ISBN 1-59298-073-2)

A pioneering book that directly connects listening with leadership.Based on more than 50 collective years of work with listening leaders throughout the world, Dr. Steil and Dr. Bommelje have created 10 practical, proven, and priceless rules to enhance everyone's listening and leadership success. Although outstanding leaders are outstanding listeners, most leaders have neglected the development of their listening attitudes, skills and knowledge.

“This is the most significant book ever written on listening and leadership and will profit leaders at all levels in all types of organizations and enterprises.” Dr. Ralph Nichols, Father of the Field of Listening

ORDER YOUR COPY at www.ListeningLeaders.com or www.amazon.com

Listening Leaders is a weekly e-mail newsletter for people who understand the value of Listening Leadership in their life.

It is brought to you by
the INTERNATIONAL LISTENING LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
We welcome your comments, suggestions and questions.
Please e-mail: ClientServices@ListeningLeaders.com.

Also, please visit our website: www.ListeningLeaders.com

Join our Golden Circle of Listening Leaders who are spreading Listening Leadership attitude, skills and knowledge worldwide! Forward your copy to anyone you believe will benefit from reading The Listening Leaders!

COPYRIGHT AND REPRINTS
Reprint permission is granted when the following credit appears: "© International Listening Leadership Institute. Reprinted with permission from ‘“The Listening Leaders Newsletter,' a weekly Internet newsletter”. For your own personal subscription, go to www.ListeningLeaders.com"

PRIVACY STATEMENT
Your e-mail address is absolutely confidential. We will NEVER give, sell or share your address with anyone.

Subscribe Cancel Update

Dr. Lyman K. (Manny) Steil
25 Robb Farm Road
St. Paul, MN 55127
651-483-3597
LKS@ListeningLeaders.com

Dr. Richard K. (Rick) Bommelje
8530 Amber Oak Dr
Orlando, FL 32817
407-679-7280
RKB@ListeningLeaders.com

[ListeningLeaders]