Why You Need To Please Just Shut Up And Listen

Sometimes you need someone to listen to you until you tell them you are finished talking. 

Ever wanted someone to just listen to you without interruption?

Well now you can do that for any friend and colleague. 

One of the hardest things to do is listen without interrupting. Just watch interviews on news channels, political debates, any meeting or presentation we all can’t help but interrupt. 

But you can change that. 

You simply can say to someone “I am listening, tell me when you are done.”

Then you bite your tongue, pay attention, and wait for them to share everything they want to share. 

Don’t interrupt that your sister, boss, or mother’s tennis partner experienced the same. 

Don’t interrupt and tell them there are worse things happening in the world. 

Don’t interrupt and say anything. Just simply listen. 

Then when they go quiet, ask them if they are done. 

Then simply ask:

“How can I help?”

They might not want your help they might just want a patient ear. 

Do you need someone to listen to you?

Just ask. “Will you listen to me until I say I am finished?”

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/

Do This When You Are Up Against A Deadline

Sales kick-off, pending mergers, and last-minute changes to product launches. Those are a few of the deadlines that are looming for my clients right now and here is how to best prepare yourself and team to get across the finish line:

1. Get advice from those who have been there, done that, and got results. Always be asking and listening for advice from those who have actual experience so they can give you context-sensitive advice not just be a cheerleader. 

2. Delay, defer, and dump any distractions. Get clear on what can wait and what is absolutely necessary for right now. 

3. Get ready to celebrate. Take a pause between deadlines and make sure you memorialize your success before you run after the next big initiative. Your team will thank you for it.  

As my own deadline for the manuscript for my second book is due to my publisher, I often learn the most from my clients as I’m giving them advice. I have to sometimes have to remind myself to practice what I teach! So next week I’ll be off to celebrate in Palm Springs with a few of my closest girlfriends. 

Cheers!

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/

Wondering When The Perfect Time To Speak Up Is?

I do not believe in the insanity of tick-box diversity and inclusion, but I am dumbfounded that a Top Innovators list with 99 men and one woman was created and published in 2019.

 As a member of the Harvest Summit board, here’s what I had to say as part of our collective response last week.

“There just aren’t women out there” is a ridiculous defensive excuse. “It is the pool’s fault. I can’t help it if there aren’t enough women CEOs.” 

If the pool is the problem – go back and ask yourself what exactly are we trying to achieve identifying the top innovators and how can we best do that? It is like the lazy answer to why companies don’t hire more diversity of any kind. "We can’t get the applicants, we don’t think they are out there, it’s not my fault it is the pool of available people."

 I am not buying it.

What this list shows is that even when some of the smartest brains get together to create a showcase of brilliant minds, common sense does not always prevail.

Of course, now everyone can see producing a list of top innovators with more men called Stanley than women on it is preposterous, but no-one in the creators or publishing side of this report saw it or had a loud enough voice to air it before it woke up the internet this week.”

 The question now for executives everywhere is where does this show up in your company and what can you do about it?

The time to speak up is now.