Mark Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, when asked what the most critical attribute of a manager is, said: "Listening Deeply". He cited two examples of this: Charlie Rose, the legendary interviewer and co-host of CBS Morning, and Steve Jobs.
What does "listen deeply" mean exactly? First, it means listening with NO distractions: no cell phones, no computers in your face checking emails. When I'm talking to someone on the phone, I know when that person is looking at emails on his computer because the response to a question is slow or non-existent.
We have become a rude nation. We have stopped really listening to people. We are constantly distracted.
Listening deeply means getting rid of thoughts about what you're going to say, and thinking only about what the person you're listening to is saying. Listening deeply means shutting the cell phone down, turning off the computer, emptying your mind of distracting thoughts, and just listening to what the person you're talking with is saying.
Stop talking; stop commenting; stop finishing sentences. Just LISTEN and ask questions with the purpose of deepening your understanding of what someone is telling you. Great salespeople LISTEN DEEPLY.
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