Listening Leaders Archived Edition

June 14, 2006

LISTENING LEADERS BUILD BENEFICIAL BLUEPRINTS

Listening Leaders® find great profit by building beneficial blueprints.

As world-class architects know, every beautiful but functional edifice requires the clarity of creative vision, the creation of precise blueprints, and the ultimate action of skilled builders. In a similar sense, “Golden Circle Listening Leaders”® follow the same strategy.

First, they clearly visualize the specific productive attitudes and behaviors of the outstanding listeners they want to be. Second, they invest the required time and effort to create a concrete and beneficial blueprint for their desired listening developmental and application strategies. Third, they move from vision and design to application through action. As all Listening Leaders® know, vision is important and action is imperative. However, without the clarity of precise blueprints, the best visions may be lost and actions misspent. Blueprints and precise plans are necessary to point the way for desired listening and leading. In short, to paraphrase the British political scientist, Harold Laski, “We must plan our ‘listening’ or we will perish.”

Blueprints begin with visions, and visions are impacted by beliefs. Listening blueprints require a moment of beginning, but at their best have no ending. For as a man once asked, “Where does a circle begin and end?” For Listening Leaders®, the listening blueprint circle begins and ends where they choose. However, the critical key is that the creation of a bankable blueprint must begin somewhere and hopefully will never end. Leaders know it is never too late to create a listening vision, articulate a listening plan, and implement the desired listening action. The initial overriding challenge is simply to begin. The ongoing challenge in the creation and refinement of any personal blueprint lies in the personalization. Simply put, your listening plan must be your creation and have your signature.

Consider the story of Cnidus, an Egyptian architect, who was commissioned by one of the Pharaohs to build a lighthouse at the mouth of the Nile. Duly built, Cnidus engraved the name of the Pharaoh upon the cement at the base of the lighthouse. As the years of wind and rain wore the cement away and the Pharaoh’s name disappeared, it was discovered that Cnidus the designer, had engraved his own name on the underpinning rock below. Obviously history rewards those who prepare and have a personal plan.

Skilled Listening Leaders® profit by focusing on the following eight questions: 1) What is your vision of productive listeners? 2) Who are your listening role models? 3) What beliefs provide a foundation for your listening blueprint? 4) What behavioral characteristics must your listening blueprint include? 5) What benefits will flow from your listening blueprint? 6) What is the present state of your listening blueprint? 7) How can you develop, redevelop, or refine your listening blueprint? 8) How do your daily listening actions match your listening blueprint?

In the words of Seneca, the Roman philosopher, “Form follows function. Function is the result of life. Form is the result of design.” Or as a wise man once counseled, “All roads lead somewhere, but those who follow maps usually arrive where they intended to go.”

LISTENING LEADER KNOWLEDGE NUGGET: Listening Leaders® actively create and follow listening blueprints.

History is filled with the wonderful works of renowned architects and master builders. History is filled with the wonderful works of renowned architects and master builders. Such giants as Christopher Wren, Adolf Loos, Albert Kahn, Aldo Rossi, Frank Lloyd Wright, Carlo Scarpa, Frank Gehry, Charles Eames, Ieoh Ming Pei, Louis Isadore Kahn, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, reflect creative genius’s throughout the ages. Representing a variety of schools of architectural thought, they enjoyed three common traits. Each was a creative genius; each operated from a strongly held personal belief system; each had the ability to translate their creative visions and beliefs into operational blueprints; and, each had the tenacity to follow their plans into action.

In like kind, outstanding Listening Leaders® follow their lead in every way and on every day. Begin with a burning desire to enhance listening everywhere. Study the characteristics of outstanding listeners. Follow with the construction of a concrete vision and action plan, and move to meaningful action. In the words of Frank Lloyd Wright, “I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”

LISTENING LEADER TIP OF THE WEEK: Sharpen your pencil and craft a workable listening development blueprint for action.

GOLDEN CIRCLE LISTENING LEADERS QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

What is needed most in architecture today is the very thing that is most needed in life-Integrity ~ Frank Lloyd Wright
Man is what he believes ~ Anton Chekhov
Think simples' as my old master used to say - meaning reduce the whole of its parts into the simplest terms, getting back to first principles ~ Frank Lloyd Wright
When we build, let us think that we build for ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
All fine architectural values are human values, or else not valuable ~ Frank Lloyd Wright
Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind ~ Seneca

A LISTENING LEADER GIGGLE:

Roger Ingebritson, a “Golden Circle Listening Leader”® of Norwegian descent, is a skilled listener and valuable resource of helpful material. Highlighting the importance of knowing who you are listening to and the value of clear-cut roadmaps, Roger reminded us of a moment back in the days of cowboys and Indians, when a westbound wagon train was lost and low on food. No other humans had been seen for days, and then the pioneers saw an old Norwegian sitting beneath a tree.

"Is there some place ahead where we can get some food?" they asked.

"Vell, I tink so," the old man said, "but I wouldn't go up dat hill und down de udder side. Some vun tole me you'd run into a big bacon tree."

"A bacon tree?" asked the wagon train leader.

"Yah, a bacon tree. Vould I lie? Trust me. I vouldn't go dere."

Returning to his group the leader told everyone what the Norwegian said. "So why did he say we shouldn’t go there?" someone asked.

Other pioneers said, "Oh, you know those Norwegian people - they like to make jokes."

Soon the pioneer’s wagon train proceeded up the hill and down the other side. Suddenly, Indians attacked from everywhere and massacred everyone except the leader who managed to escape and find his way back to the old Norwegian.

Near dead, the leader shouted, "You fool! You sent us to our deaths! We followed your route, but there was no bacon tree, just hundreds of Indians who killed everyone but me."

The old Norwegian held up his hand and said, "Vait a minute, I told you to not to go there, and maybe it vuzn’t a bacon tree." He picked up his English-Norwegian dictionary and began thumbing through it."Oof-da, I made such ah big mishtake! It vuzn't a bacon tree,

"It vuz a ham bush."

Accurate roadmaps and blueprints are important for all listeners.

A LISTENING LEADERS KUDOS:

Kudos to Marian Cacciatore, Director of Workforce Development for Space Coast Credit Union, who is the first Certified Listening Leaders Facilitator to teach a Listening Leaders® Workshop. Marian recently launched the Listening Leadership® movement in her organization by presenting the Listening Leaders® Workshop to managers from several branches of the organization.

Kudos to all of the members of the International Listening Association who have developed significant blueprints for enhanced listening throughout the world. Since 1979, members of the International Listening Association (ILA) have helped to shape the strategies of listeners throughout every level of educational institutions, governmental entities, businesses of all kinds, churches of every denomination, and enterprises of all types. Their research and architectural services have created a variety of invaluable blueprints in the service of millions of listeners. We salute you all!

BECOME CERTIFIED TO TEACH LISTENING LEADERSHIP IN YOUR ORGANIZATION. For certification details, go to www.ListeningLeaders.com

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. Eight simple steps in advancing this important movement include:

Develop and refine your action-oriented listening blueprint today.
Forward this newsletter to your children, grandchildren, 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 proven listening leader training programs and our customized in-house train-the-trainer strategies and our new Certification program.

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

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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

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