Listening Leaders Archived Edition

February 7, 2007

LISTENING LEADERS PERFECT PRIOR PREPARATION

Listening Leaders® practice and perfect the imperative and ongoing listening task of prior preparation.

For as James A. Baker, III reminds all thoughtful leaders, the simple aphorism of the “Five Ps” will serve everyone well. In particular, Listening Leaders® will profit by committing to memory: “Prior preparation prevents poor performance!”

Having served five Presidents as Under Secretary of Commerce, the White House Chief of Staff twice, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Special Envoy for the United Nations, Co-Chairman of the Iraq Study Group, and a variety of other leadership positions, Baker promotes the importance of preparation and perceptive listening.

Practicing the process of persistent preparation, Listening Leaders® will heed the advice of Robert Baden-Powell, the British soldier and founder of the Boy Scouts. Baden-Powell established the simple motto, “Be Prepared” as the over-arching motto of the Scout movement. Like Scouts everywhere, smart effective listeners will prepare themselves by prior preparation and practice to listen in any and every situation. Prior preparation positions one to listen with a strategy of “No Surprises.” Preparation is the one thing that no one can do for another. In the world of “prior preparation and practice,” it is wise to remember: “If it’s going to be…it’s up to me.” For as Aesop, the renowned Greek writer of fables wrote in Hercules and the Waggoner, “The gods help those that help themselves.”

Simply put, prior preparation provides a proven process and platform to practice proficient listening. As discussed throughout Listening Leaders: The Ten Golden Rules to Listen, Lead & Succeed, listeners engage a variety of opportunities to plan, prepare, and practice their strategies for effective listening.

First and foremost, Listening Leaders® assume the simple responsibility of being prepared. They adjust their attitude and ready their environment. They acknowledge and accept the Minimum 51% Responsibility Rule for all successful communication.

Second, Listening Leaders® identify and adapt to the purpose of every message and message sender. Prior planning prepares the adaptive listener to align and enhance their listening expectation and readiness.

Third, effective Listening Leaders® constantly prepare to seek the “Value Moment of Listening” as they move through the required stages of SIER. Persistent prior planning and preparation to listen through the required levels of Sensing, Interpretation, Evaluation, Storing, and Responding will always prevent poor performance.

Fourth, prepared Listening Leaders® profit by establishing a plan of action that leads to identifying speaker structures and patterns, taking meaningful notes, and controlling distractions and emotions. Coupled with a prior plan and commitment to take meaningful action, effective listeners find success by parlaying preparation into productive and profitable practices.

LISTENING LEADER KNOWLEDGE NUGGET: Listening Leaders® profit by prior preparation.

The payoff for every Listening Leader® who plans ahead lies ultimately in the opportunity to respond effectively.

Understanding how history has a tendency to repeat itself in various versions over time, the important lesson of planning for all Listening Leaders® take on an additional meaning. Many argue the quagmire that today’s politician’s face in Iraq is a result of slipshod prior planning from parties on all sides of the aisle. Yet everyone wants to, and continues to clamor to, “be listened to.”

Perhaps a historic lesson of prior preparation was experienced by General George Washington during the first debate over the establishment of the Federal Army. Although it has been said that General Washington seldom indulged in a joke or sarcasm, when he did, he often responded effectively.

Consider the day when Washington was present in Congress during the debate on the establishment of the Federal Army and a member offered a resolution limiting the Federal Army to three thousand men. Washington came prepared, listened carefully, and suggested to a member an amendment providing that no enemy should ever invade the country with more than two thousand soldiers. The laughter which ensued smothered the original resolution quickly and completely. Perhaps our contemporary politicians on both sides of the aisle might discover, “Prior preparation prevents poor performance.”

LISTENING LEADER TIP OF THE WEEK: Plan, practice, perform, & profit.

GOLDEN CIRCLE LISTENING LEADERS QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

You can never plan the future by the past ~ Edmund Burke
The greatest thing in the world is to know how to be self-sufficient ~ Montaigne
The first rule in opera is the first rule in life: see to everything yourself ~ Nellie Melba
Every man’s work is a portrait of himself ~ Jose Ortega y Gasset
If a man is to strive with all his heart, the significance of his striving must be unmistakable ~ Herbert Agar
If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle ~ 1 Corinthians 14:8
Oh Lord, Thou givist everything, At the price Of an effort ~ Leonardo da Vinci
There is nothing the body suffers the soul may not profit by ~ George Meredith

A LISTENING LEADER GIGGLE:

A recent email from an anonymous author reminded us that prior preparation is important in every communication endeavor; particularly in moments of new experiences.

It is told that a young married couple went to the hospital to have their first baby delivered. Upon their arrival, the doctor said that the hospital was testing an amazing new high-tech machine that would transfer a portion of the mother's predictable labor pain to the baby's father. He asked the couple if they were willing to give it a try. As the mother was understandably apprehensive and her husband was supportive, they both said they were very much in favor of it.

The doctor set the pain transfer to 10% for starters, explaining that even 10% was probably more pain than the father had ever experienced before. However as the labor progressed, the husband felt fine and asked the doctor to go ahead and kick it up a notch.

The doctor then adjusted the machine to 20% pain transfer. The husband was still feeling fine. As it was uncharted water, the doctor then checked the husband's blood pressure and was amazed at how well he was doing.

At this point they mutually decided to increase the pain transfer to 50%. The husband continued to feel quite well. Moreover, since the pain transfer was obviously helping the wife considerably, the macho husband encouraged the doctor to transfer ALL the pain to him. Willing to ensure his wife felt no pain, he shouted, “Crank it up and give me all the pain you’ve got!” It was new territory, but with some trepidation the Dr. complied with no apparent negative reaction to either the wife or husband.

In due time, the wife delivered a healthy baby with virtually no pain. Moreover, as the husband experienced absolutely no pain, both were ecstatic.

Unfortunately when they brought their new baby home, they discovered their regular UPS man lying dead on their porch.

BECOME CERTIFIED TO TEACH LISTENING LEADERSHIP IN YOUR ORGANIZATION.

You will become fully equipped to deliver a unique and proven Workshop that provides practical and measurable results. For certification details, go to www.ListeningLeaders.com

ORDER YOUR “LISTENING LEADERS WORKSHOP ‘IN A BOX’.

You don't have to wait for the next live Listening Leaders® Workshop! The entire workshop is in a format that you can take at your own pace in the comfort of your own office or home. For 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:

Plan, prepare, and prioritize.

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

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]