PPB September 2021

sidebar chat. Dana had formally worked in a high-level marketing role for a large beverage distributor in the islands. He told me the story of how the company CEO encouraged failure—seems weird, right? But the explanation that followed was brilliant. Once of his co-workers totally failed with a major account. I do not remember the details, but I do remember him saying the CEO told the story in front of the whole company and proceeded to praise the guy because he took a risk, he tried but he failed. They were able to coach him, give him feedback and sent him off to try again. Imagine how that young man felt? It was extremely easy for him to take the constructive criticism and work even harder because he knew his boss had his back. Some of the most talented people fail. Michael Jordan, who I feel was the greatest player ever, said, “I fail every day of my life, and that’s what makes me great.” Understand you make mistakes, own them, learn from them and if you are the boss, empower your team to go out there and keep learning. Top Communication Skills Listening There are two types of listening: active and passive. Without writing one more word, you know the difference because you have experienced both. A passive listener is not focused; this type of listener wanders and gets distracted. An active listener, on the other hand, looks at you when you speak, is not multi-tasking, seeks clarity, asks questions and never assumes. Be an active listener and communication changes dramatically. Being Clear And Concise Ambiguity is the biggest deal-breaker. We “Type A” personalities tend to rush through things. We know it, we understand what we want and, in all fairness, we expect people to figure it out. This is especially true with written correspondence. Our industry is heavily laden with details, and half-hearted correspondence creates delays, issues, mistakes and, in many cases, these missteps are expensive. Take the time to clearly articulate what you need. I find when communicating with someone, especially when there is detailed information, it’s best to bullet-point the information in an email. This creates a checklist of sorts and is much easier to ascertain what I am trying to convey. Respect And Empathy When dealing with sensitive issues, having respect and empathy make a potentially tough situation easier to manage. If you need to reprimand | SEPTEMBER 2021 | 53 GROW