If you cannot listen to the people around you, how can you efficiently deliver what is being asked of you in the workplace? One common shared trait between the most successful people in the world is practicing the sacred art of being able to listen to everything going on around them, and the ability to listen to their gut feeling and the universe.
Mindful Monday: 7 Signs You Don’t Listen
Failure to listen has consequences. There are only so many chances in life to accurately listen to your intuition, to what the universe is trying to tell you and how many times your employer will ask you ten different times to do the same thing. It’s time to stop doing whatever is clouding your brain and listen.
#1. You’re following your own agenda.
We’re likely all sick of this saying, but there really is no ‘i’ in any successful team. If you’re following your own agenda, you’re not listening to your colleagues, your boss or your customers.
#2. You constantly interrupt everyone.
You consistently interrupt others midflow with irrelevant information which exposes to everybody that you’re not listening. Show respect when others are speaking. It’s not appropriate to randomly change the subject of the conversation to suit your personal agenda – it’s highly unprofessional and a little arrogant to think what you have to say is more important. Wait your turn, listen to what the speaker is saying and chime in at a suitable time with appropriate ideas and views.
#3. You respond without thinking.
If you regularly find yourself responding to emails or verbal questions with incorrect information, you’re not listening or thinking before you speak. People who communicate like this are exhausting – it’s an immense drain on other peoples’ time and energy. Take a few seconds to re-read the email or digest the question you were verbally asked to ensure you’re responding accurately.
#4 You are always trying to ”one up” everybody in reply-all emails and meetings.
This negative behavior, over time, does not go unnoticed. You’ll earn yourself a reputation as the office Grinch, and the person to avoid communication where possible.
#5. You engage in email wars.
Constantly provoking your colleagues and talkback will catch up with you eventually. You don’t always need to have the last word. Learn to accept criticism and other peoples’ opinions.
#6 You jump to conclusions.
If you find yourself snapping in response to innocent messages with no hidden subliminal meaning, this manner will ultimately have consequences. It’s exhausting to the everyone around you.
#7. You have problems in your work life.
When you don’t listen, disagreements arise. These differences will be particularly prevalent in the workplace because you’re not doing what is being asked of you by your team or your executives. People who don’t listen often respond to criticism over failure to deliver because you genuinely weren’t listening, and didn’t understand the instructions the speaker was spelling out to you. This behavior is frustrating for everyone. Conflicts won’t be resolved in your work life until you start listening.
