FocusFive Consulting

What's hard for one person can be so simple for another. My newest client has a new position, two kids, a husband and is overwhelmed. She 'dumped' everything she has to do into a google doc and we get together once a week and move through her dump list.

First, we categorized it, then we prioritized everything on the list. Each week she tells me she hasn't done very much and then she's surprised at how much she's accomplished.

We spend a lot of time talking about what she needs to do and how she will do it. We problem-solve and brainstorm. At the end of each session she moves items into specific dates and times on her calendar. No To-Do lists. Everything in real time in her calendar.

It's very satisfying for her and for me to see the progress she's making - and to feel the stress moving one item at a time.

Curiosity. We know what is right and we want everyone else to know it. Yet there are so many people who look at the same issues we're looking at who feel very differently - and they feel they're right! This applies in our business and personal life.

We may be right, yet being right separates us from others and can make others feel wrong. Then communication either shuts down or becomes combative.

When we talk to others at work about things we don't agree on we can ask questions with the goal of being CURIOUS about their answers. Listen. Really listen without interrupting, judging, or defending our position. Simply listen. Is it possible the person we disagree with has a point? Can we see their point? We don't have to agree, we can just see their point.

Being curious means that we're open to hearing something. That openness can lead to a coming-together, an understanding. Through our curiosity we can begin to understand someone else's viewpoint.

Do you have examples of times you stayed open during a conversation and realized that you had more in common with someone than you realized? Has a conversation with someone you disagree with led to a closer relationship? Try being curious. Ask for more information. Keep asking with the goal of discovering. When you let go of knowing and make room for learning, a team, an office, a partnership can change.

For coaching on listening with curiosity or any other communication issues, call me or PM me.