Listening Leaders Archived Edition

July 2, 2008

LISTENING LEADERS TACKLE TOUGH TIMES

Listening Leaders® tackle tough times and enjoy the treasures of triumph. In a moment of surging gas prices, soaring food prices and health care costs, housing foreclosures, floods, fires, etc., tough times are endless Yet in tough times every listener’s choice is both simple and clear. They tackle tough times and triumph, or ignore tough times and fail.

For Listening Leaders® there is no alternative choice. First, they recognize that although tough times come and go, tough times will always impact someone in their circle of impact. Second, they appreciate, as Dr. Robert Schuller reminds everyone, “Tough times never last, tough people do.” Third, they understand that tough times impact different individuals in different ways. Fourth, they realize the importance and value of skilled listening during challenging times. As a result, Listening Leaders® face tough times straight on and choose a path of focused, realistic, and optimistic listening.

Realistic optimism resides at the heart of listening during tough times. For pessimism provides no shelter in a sea of tough times. Pessimists find fault with the wind. Optimists expect it to change. But Listening Leaders® deal with the challenges of the moment and simply adjust their sails. It has been noted, “An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.” Or as McLandburgh Wilson observed: “Twixt optimist and pessimist; The difference is droll: The optimist sees the doughnut, The pessimist, the hole.”

Consequently, Listening Leaders® listen with a positive ear, and as a result build a more productive reality. When dealing with tough times, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, captured the challenge of today when he observed: “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” Triumph in tough times comes to those who follow the advice of President Teddy Roosevelt, when he said: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” More to the point is the wisdom of Mark Twain when he observed, “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”

In short, “what and who” Listening Leaders® choose to listen to in tough times makes a difference. Facts trump opinions. Solutions are more important than problems. Questions are valuable. Answers are more valuable. Positive action beats worry. Allowing catharsis is invaluable. For as Benjamin Franklin reminds everyone, “To bear other people’s afflictions, everyone has courage to spare.” But the ultimate challenge for all Listening Leaders® during troubled times was captured in Edward Everett Hale’s simple observation and advice: “Never bear more than one kind of trouble at a time. Some people bear three—all they have had, all they have now, and all they expect to have.”

LISTENING LEADER® KNOWLEDGE NUGGET: Listening Leaders® triumph in tough times.

The 1914-1916 story of the tough times of Ernest Shackleton’s unsuccessful Endurance Expedition has been well documented. From the outset, Shackleton anticipated challenging difficulties as he recruited volunteers with a special advertisement in London newspapers. Strangely, more than 5,000 responded to the following ad that anticipated and described tough times. The advertisement simply read: “MEN WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.” Fifty-six men were selected and would never be able to charge Shackleton with “false advertising.”

A careful reading of the saga of Shackleton’s crew’s survival reveals a study of a collection of individuals who practiced realistic and optimistic listening while facing circumstances of life and death. Shackleton proved to be a Listening Leader® beyond compare and serves everyone today as a model for C. W. Longenecker’s instructive poem: “You Can If You Think You Can!”

“If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don't. If you like to win, but you think you can't. It is almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost. For out in the world we find, Success begins with a fellow's will. It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are. You've got to think high to rise. You've got to be sure of yourself before; You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man. But soon or later the man who wins, Is the man who thinks he can.”

Like Shackleton, Listening Leaders® who choose to tackle tough times will triumph if they think they can.

LISTENING LEADER TIP OF THE WEEK: Listening begins with attitude.

GOLDEN CIRCLE LISTENING LEADERS QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

Pessimism is only the name that men of weak nerves gives to wisdom ~ Bernard DeVoto
Optimism is the determination to see more in something than is there ~ Herbert V. Prochnow
Pessimist is one who, when he has a choice of two evils, chooses both ~ Oscar Wilde
These are the times that try men’s souls ~ Thomas Paine
When the going gets tough, the tough get going ~ Wayne Braithwaite, Barry Eastmond

A LISTENING LEADER GIGGLE:

Unfortunately in tough times many turn to drink. Fortunately, however, as many bartenders have become skilled in listening to the many tales of woe they have refined their sense of humor. We just heard about two such episodes.

A three-legged dog walked into a saloon in the Old West. He sidled up to the bar and announced: "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw." Having nothing to say, the bartender wisely held his silence.

But shortly thereafter, a neutron walked into the same saloon and asked the bartender, "How much for a beer?" This time the bartender wisely replied, "For you my friend, in these tough times, no charge."

All Listening Leaders® should find laughter in tough times.

LISTENING LEADERS KUDOS

As times continue to remain tough at gas pumps throughout the country, we repeat our Kudos to Golden Circle Listening Leader® Joe Shuster on the publication of his powerful new book, “Beyond Fossil Fools: The Roadmap to Energy Independence by 2040.” Featured in Chapter 1 of our “Listening Leaders” book, Joe Shuster is a problem-solving, myth-busting, genius who illuminates the inherent problems of a world driven by “Fossil Fools” and, filled with energy foolishness. More important, Joe Shuster provides a crystal clear 30-year workable plan for providing enduring “Future Fuels” that will solve the energy problems for generations to come! The pathway to “Energy Independence by 2040” for our children and grandchildren is precise and crystal clear, provided “Fossil Fool” readers take action today.

“Fossil Fools” is a must read and deserves to be placed on “the world’s required reading list” for everyone who desires and depends on clean, affordable, and available energy for all future generations. Joe Shuster’s wisdom deserves to be listened to and acted upon by all serious residents of the 21st Century! For more information, go to: www.beyondfossilfools.com Congratulations Joe!

LISTENING LEADER TOOLS AVAILABLE TO YOU.

Listening Leaders Book
Leadership Behavior Inventory (LLBI).
Listening Leader Workshop-in-a-Box
Certification Program

For details, please click on: 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:

Tackle tough times.

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 proven listening leader training programs and our customized in-house train-the-trainer strategies and our 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]