A Report on

Listening to People

Submitted to: Prof.Daisy Kurien

Submitted by: Rashika Gupta (M00111 Shai!a Shah (M001"#

Table of content

About the Article (Listing to people)..............................................................................3 About the Author............................................................................................................3 Summary of the case.......................................................................................................4 Conclusion.....................................................................................................................11 About the Article (Making ourself !n"ispensable).....................................................1# About the Author...........................................................................................................1# Summary of the case.....................................................................................................1$ Learnings.......................................................................................................................#1

About the Article:

*as

%he Article Listening to people by &aplh '.(ichols an" Leonar" A. Ste)ens publishe" in Harvard Business Review in September+ ,ctober 1-$..

About the Author:

Mr. (ichols/ hea"e" up a Communications 0rogram at the 1ni)ersity of Minnesota/ is nationally kno*n for his many articles an" lectures on communication problems . !n 1-$1+1-$# he ser)e" as 0resi"ent of the (ational Society for the Stu"y of Communication/ an organi2ation chartere" to make a continuing an" systematic stu"y of communication as a means to buil"ing more harmonious relations *ithin groups an" among in"i)i"uals .

Mr. Ste)ens is a free+lance *riter an" a consultant on oral presentation to a number of lea"ing companies an" also is affiliate" *ith Management 3e)elopment Associates of (e* ork. 4or t*o years he ser)e" as (e*s 5"itor

6oth the authors collaborate" on some short articles on listening an" no* ha)e a book coming out on the sub7ect + Are ou Listening8

Summar of the article :

The busy executive spends 80% of his time . . .

L!ST"#!#$ to %"&%L"
. . . and still. doesn't hear half of what is said .

%he top e9ecuti)es of a ma7or manufacturing plant in the Chicago area *ere aske" to sur)ey the role that listening plays in their *ork. Later/Some of the e9ecuti)e says: ;!<)e been thinking back about things that ha)e gone *rong o)er the past couple of years/ an" ! su""enly reali2e" that many of the troubles ha)e resulte" from someone not hearing something/ or getting it in a "istorte" *ay .; %his communication/ businessmen are "isco)ering/ "epen"s more on the spoken *or" than it "oes on the *ritten *or"= an" the effecti)eness of the spoken *or" hinges not so much on ho* people talk as on ho* they listen.

%he 1nuse" 0otential

!t can be state"/ *ith practically no >ualification/ that people in general "o not kno* ho* to listen. %hey ha)e ears that hear )ery *ell/ but sel"om ha)e they ac>uire" the necessary aural skills *hich *oul" allo* those ears to be use" effecti)ely for *hat is calle" listening.

&esearch 3one

?hat happens as time passes8

%he o*n testing of the authors sho*s + an" it has been substantiate" by reports of research at 4lori"a State 1ni)ersity an" Michigan State 1ni)ersity<+ that t*o months after listening to a talk/ the a)erage listener *ill remember only about #$@ of *hat *as sai". !n fact/ after *e ha)e barely learne" something/ *e ten" to forget from one+half to one+thir" of it *ithin eight hours = it is startling to reali2e that fre>uently *e forget more in this first short inter)al than *e "o in the ne9t si9 months

'ap in %raining

?e ha)e focuse" attention on rea"ing/ consi"ering it the primary me"ium by *hich+*e learn/ an" *e ha)e practically forgotten the art of listening . ?e ha)e assume" that learning to rea" *ill automatically teach one to listen . ?hile some of the skills attaine" through rea"ing apply to listening/ the assumption is far from completely )ali" .Listening is a "ifferent acti)ity from rea"ing an" re>uires "ifferent skills . &esearch has sho*n that rea"ing an" listening skills "o not impro)e at the same rate *hen only rea"ing is taught.

?ays to !mpro)ement

Any course or any effort that *ill lea" to listening impro)ement shoul" "o t*o things : 1 . 6uil" a*areness to factors that affect listening ability . #. 6uil" the kin" of aural e9perience that can pro"uce goo" listening habits . A certain "egree of a*areness is "e)elope" by merely "iscussing factors that affect listening ability.

Case o f the 3isenchante" Listener .

!n stu"ies at the 1ni)ersity of Minnesota/ it *as foun" that most people "o not use their spare thinking time *isely as they listen . 4or e9ample/ A/ the boss/ is talking to 6/ the subor"inate/ about a ne* program. that the firm is planning to launch . 6 is a poor listener . !n this instance/ he tries to listen *ell/ but he has "ifficulty concentrating on *hat A has to say . A starts talking an" 6 launches into the listening process/ grasping e)ery *or" an" phrase that comes into his ears. 6ut right a*ay 6 fin"s that/ be+cause of A<s slo* rate of speech/ he has time to think of things other than the spoken line of thought . Subconsciously/ 6 "eci"es to san"*ich a fe* thoughts of his o*n into the aural ones that are arri)ing so slo*ly. %hen 6 comes back to A<s spoken line of thought an" listens for a fe* more *or"s 6ut/ sooner or later/ on one of the mental si"etracks/ 6 is almost sure to stay a*ay too long . ?hen he returns/ A is mo)ing along ahea" of him .At this point it becomes har"er for 6 to un"erstan" A/ simply because 6 has misse" part of the oral message.

&ules of 'oo" &eception

Stu"ies sho* that goo" listeners engage in four mental acti)ities: %hey ten" to "irect a ma9imum amount of thought to the message being recei)e"/ lea)ing a minimum amount of time for mental e9cursions on si"etracks lea"ing a*ay from the talker<s thought.
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%he four processes are:

1)

%he listener thinks ahea" of the talker/ trying to anticipate *hat the oral "iscourse is lea"ing to an" *hat conclusions *ill be "ra*n from the *or"s spoken at the moment .

2)

%he listener *eighs the e)i"ence use" by the talker to support the points that he makes . ;!s this e)i"ence )ali"8; the listener asks himself. ;!s it the complete e)i"ence8;

3)

0erio"ically the listener re)ie*s an" mentally summari2es the points of the talk complete" thus far .

4)

%hroughout the talk/ the listener ;listens bet*een the lines; in search of meaning that is not necessarily put into spoken *or"s . Ae pays attention to non)erbal communication (facial e9pressions/ gestures/ tone of )oice) to see if it a""s meaning to the spoken *or"s.

%he spee" at *hich *e think compare" to that at *hich people talk allo*s plenty of time to accomplish these four mental tasks *hen *e listen = ho*e)er/ they "o re>uire practice before they can become part of the mental agility that makes for goo" listening.

Listening for !"eas

4or some reason many people take great pri"e in being able to say that abo)e all they try to ;get the facts; *hen they listen . !t seems logical enough to "o so . !f a person gets all the facts/ he shoul" certainly un"erstan" *hat is sai" to him. %herefore/ many people try to memori2e e)ery single fact that is spoken. ?ith such practice at ;getting the facts/; the listener/ *e can safely assume/ *ill "e)elop a serious ba" listening habit . Memori2ing facts is/ to begin *ith/ a )irtual impossibility for most people in the listening situation . As one fact is being memori2e"/ the *hole/ or part/ of the ne9t fact is almost certain to be misse" .

5motional 4ilters

!f *e hear something that opposes our most "eeply roote" pre7u"ices/ notions/ con)ictions/ mores/ or comple9es/ our brains may become o)erstimulate"/ an" not in a "irection that lea"s to goo" listening. ?e mentally plan a rebuttal to *hat *e hear/ formulate a >uestion "esigne" to embarrass the talker/ or perhaps simply turn to thoughts that support our o*n feelings on the sub7ect at han" 4or e9ample: %he firm<s accountant goes to the general manager an" says : ;! ha)e 7ust hear" from the 6ureau of !nternal &e)enue/ an" . . . .; %he general manager su""enly breathes har"er as he thinks/ ;%hat blaste" bureauB Can<t they lea)e me alone8 5)ery year the go)ernment milks my profits to a point *here . . . .; ?hen emotions make listening too easy/ it usually results from hearing something *hich supports the "eeply roote" inner feelings that *e hol" . ?hen *e hear such support/ our mental barriers are "roppe" an" e)erything is *elcome". ?hat can *e "o about these emotional filters8 1)?ithhol" e)aluation + %his is one of the most important principles of learning/ especially learning through the ear. !t re>uires self+control/ sometimes more than many of us can muster/ but *ith persistent practice it can be turne" into a )aluable habit. ?hile listening/ the main ob7ect is to comprehen" each point ma"e by the talker . Cu"gments an" "ecisions shoul" be reser)e" until after the talker has finishe" .

#) Aunt for negati)e e)i"ence++?hen *e listen/ it is human to go on a militant search for e)i"ence *hich pro)es us right in *hat *e belie)e. Sel"om "o *e make a search for e)i"ence to pro)e oursel)es *rong . %he latter type of effort is not easy/ for behin" its application must lie a generous spirit an" real brea"th of outlook. Ao*e)er/ an important part of listening comprehension is foun" in the search for negati)e e)i"ence in *hat *e hear.

6enefits in business

?hen people in business fail to hear an" un"erstan" each other/ the results can be costly. Such things as numbers/ "ates/ places/ an" names are especially easy to confuse/ but the most straightfor*ar" agreements are often sub7ects of listening errors/ too . ?hen these mistakes are compoun"e"/ the resulting cost an" inefficiency in business communication become serious. ?hat are some of the specific problems *hich better listening can help sol)e8

Less 0aper ?ork

A great "eal of communication nee"s to be on the recor"/ but the pressure to *rite is often carrie" too far . %he smallest "etail becomes ;memoe" .; 0aper *ork piles higher an" higher an" causes part of the tangle *e call re" tape. !n oral communication there are more human senses at *ork than in the )isual = an" if there is goo" listening/ more can often be communicate" in one message. !f the listener "oes not un"erstan" a message/ he has the opportunity to straighten matters out then an" there.

1p*ar" Communication

%his communication chain has potential/ but it sel"om *orks *ell because it is full of ba" listeners. %here can be failure for at least three reasons :
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D ?ithout goo" listeners/ people "o not talk freely an" the flo* of communication is sel"om set in motion . D !f the flo* shoul" start/ only one ba" listener is nee"e" to stop its mo)ement to*ar" the top. D5)en if the flo* shoul" continue to the top/ the messages are likely to be ba"ly "istorte" along the *ay.

Listening to Sell

%o"ay<s successful salesman is likely to center his attention on the customer+problem approach of selling .%o put this approach to *ork/ the skill of listening becomes an essential tool for the salesman/ *hile his )ocal agility becomes less important. How a salesman talks turns out to be relati)ely unimportant because *hat he says/ *hen it is gui"e" by his listening/ gi)es po*er to the spoken *or"

!n Conference

%he most important affairs in business are con"ucte" aroun" conference tables .A great "eal has been sai" an" *ritten about ho* to talk at a conference/ ho* to compromise/ ho* to get problem+centere"/ an" ho* to cope *ith certain types of in"i)i"uals. All these things can be )ery important/ but too fre>uently the e9perts forget to say/ ;4irst an" foremost you must learn to listen at a conference .;%he reason for this is simple *hen *e think of the basic purpose for hol"ing almost any conference. 0eople get together to contribute their "ifferent )ie*points/ kno*le"ge/ an" e9perience to members of the group/ *hich then seeks the best of all the conferees< thinking to sol)e a Common problem. More an" better listening at any conference is certain to facilitate the e9change of i"ea so important to the success of a meeting .

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'onclusion

Aere are some suggestions "esigne" to carry on *hat the authors hope this article has alrea"y starte" to "o + buil" a*areness of listening.%his can be useful for organi2ations *ho *ant to "e)elop a listening impro)ement program.

(1)3e)ote an e9ecuti)e seminar/ or seminars/ to a "iscussion of the roles an" functions of listening as a business tool . (#) 1se the filme" cases no* becoming a)ailable for management training programs.%his inclu"es not only hearing the soun" track but also *atching the facial mannerisms/ gestures/ an" motions of the actors (3)6ring in >ualifie" speakers an" ask them to "iscuss listening *ith special reference to ho* it might apply to business (4) Con"uct a self+in)entory by the employees regar"ing their listening on the 7ob.3iscuss the results of these forms after the communication times ha)e been totale". ?hat percentage of the time "o people spen" listening8 ?hat might impro)e" listening mean in terms of 7ob effecti)eness8 ($) 'i)e a test in listening ability to people an" sho* them the scores that they make (E)6uil" up a library of spoken+*or" recor"s of literature/ speeches/ an" so forth (.) !n important management meetings on contro)ersial issuesF

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!r)ing C . Lee<s ;0roce"ure for GCoercing< Agreement.; a 1n"er the groun" rules for this proce"ure/ outlines in article: the chairman calls for a perio" "uring *hich proponents of a hotly "ebate" )ie* can state their position : *ithout interruption = the opposition is limite" to (a) the asking of >uestions for/ clarification/ (b) re>uests for information concerning the peculiar characteristics of the proposal being consi"ere" = an" (c) re>uests for information as to *hether it is possible to check the <speaker<s assumptions or pre"ictions

About the Article:

ourself !n"ispensable H!f you *ant to get to the top/ "e)elop skills that

Making

complement *hat you alrea"y "o best.I

About the Author

(ohn H) *(ac+, -enger Ae *rites/ teaches/ an" speaks about e9traor"inary lea"ership. %o"ay he is one of most authoritati)e )oices on lea"ership an" performance. Ae recei)e" a "egree in psychology from 6righam oung 1ni)ersity/ an M6A from 1CLA/ an" a "octorate "egree in business a"ministration from the 1ni)ersity of Southern California. Ae has been the C5, an" 0resi"ent of one of the *orl"<s largest performance skills impro)ement companies/ 0ro)ant/ !nc. !n 1-../ Cack cofoun"e" Jenger Miller/ a lea"ing management an" lea"ership "e)elopment company. Ae later became the Chairman of %imes Mirror %raining/ !nc. (*hich consiste" of Kaset/ Learning !nternational/ an" Jenger Miller) for many years. Ae has authore" or co+authore" se)en books/ inclu"ing %he 59traor"inary Lea"er: %urning 'oo" Managers into 'reat Lea"ers/ %he Aan"book for Lea"ers: #4 Lessons for 59traor"inary Lea"ers/ &esults+6ase" Lea"ership (*hich *as honoure" as the best book of #LLL by the Society of Auman &esource Management)/ an" best+selling %he (e* Self+3irecte" ?ork %eams: %he (e* American Challenge. !n 1--4/ Cack *as in"ucte" in the Auman &esources 3e)elopment Aall of 4ame.

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(oseph R) .ol+man (oseph R) .ol+man is co+foun"er an" 0resi"ent of Jenger 4olkman/ a firm that utili2es e)i"ence+"ri)en/ strengths+base" metho"s to impro)e organi2ations an" the people *ithin them. Ae is a respecte" authority on assessment an" change/ an" an acclaime" keynote speaker at conferences an" seminars the *orl" o)er. Ais topics focus on a )ariety of sub7ects relate" to lea"ership/ fee"back/ an" in"i)i"ual an" organi2ational change. As one of the nation<s reno*ne" psychometricians/ his e9tensi)e e9pertise focuses on sur)ey research an" change management. Ae has o)er 3L years of e9perience/ consulting *ith some of the *orl"<s most prestigious an" successful organi2ations. A "istinguishe" e9pert in the fiel" of sur)ey "esign an" "ata analysis/ Coe consults *ith organi2ations large an" small/ public an" pri)ate. Ae has ha" engagements *ith clients such as A%M%/ 6oeing/ Conoco0hillips/ C!6C/ 'eneral Mills/ Aunt Consoli"ate"/ Koch !n"ustries/ Marathon ,il/ (ortel/ 4i"elity/ 4irst American/ &ee"+5lse)ier/ Safe*ay/ %homson &euters/ 1S (a)y/ 1CS3/ ?ells 4argo an" ?eyerhaeuser. 0rior to forming Jenger 4olkman/ Coe *as a foun"ing partner of (otations 'roup/ !nc./ *here he le" the employee sur)ey an" 3EL assessment practices. Coe hol"s a "octorate in Social an" ,rgani2ational 0sychology/ as *ell as a master<s "egree in ,rgani2ational 6eha)ior from 6righam oung 1ni)ersity. Ae is the author or co+author of se)en books: Turning .eedbac+ into 'hange/ /a+ing .eedbac+ 0or+/ and "mplo ee Surve s that /a+e a 1ifference.

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Scott 2) "dinger Scott K. 5"inger is a recogni2e" e9pert in helping organi2ations achie)es measurable business results. Ae is a consultant/ author/ speaker an" e9ecuti)e coach *ho ha)e *orke" *ith some of the most prominent organi2ations in the *orl" inclu"ing A%M%/ Aar)ar" 6usiness 0ublishing/ 6ank of America/ Leno)o/ 'annett an" %he Los Angeles %imes. Scott is a co+author of %he !nspiring Lea"er: 1nlocking the Secrets of Ao* 59traor"inary Lea"ers Moti)ate (Mc'ra*+Aill #LL-)/ an" the Aar)ar" 6usiness &e)ie* article Making ourself !n"ispensable/ calle" by A6& a Hclassic in the making.I Scott has authore" or co+ authore" "o2ens of other articles an" *hite papers/ has been a contributing author for %he American Society for %raining an" 3e)elopment Lea"ership Aan"book/ an" is a blogger for the Aar)ar" 6usiness &e)ie* an" 4orbes. !n a""ition/ he is an affiliate faculty member for the 1ni)ersity of (orth Carolina/ Keenan+4lagler School of 6usiness.

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Summar of the case:

%his case containe" a )ery goo" e9ample of a sales person that ho* *e can "e)elop skills that complement *hat you alrea"y "o best/ A MA(A'5& ?5NLL call %om *as a mi"le)el sales e9+ ecuti)e at a 4ortune $LL company. After a "o2en or so years there/ he *as thri)ingOhe ma"e his numbers/ he *as *ell like"/ he got consistently positi)e re)ie*s. Ae applie" for a promotion that *oul" put him in charge of a high+profile *orl"*i"e pro"uct+ alignment initiati)e/ confi"ent that he *as the top can"i"ate an" that this *as the logical ne9t mo)e for him/ a seemingly perfect fit for his skills an" ambitions. Ais track recor" *as soli". AeN" ma"e no stupi" mistakes or career+ limiting mo)es/ an" heN" ha" no run+ins *ith upper management. Ae *as stunne"/ then/ *hen a colleague *ith less e9perience got the 7ob. ?hat *as the matter8 An" e)eryone *as happy *ith his *ork 6ut ho*8 %om *as at a loss. Shoul" he think more strategically8 6ecome e)en more inspiring8 0ractice problem sol)ing more intently8 !tNs pretty easy an" straightfor*ar" to impro)e on a *eakness= you can get stea"y/ measurable results through linear "e)elopment that is/ by learning an" practicing basic techni>ues. / his manager assure" him/ an" a recent 3EL+"egree assessment confirme" her )ie*. !n this article *e pro)i"e a simple gui"e to becoming a far more effecti)e lea"er. ?e *ill see ho* %om i"entifie" his strengths/ "eci"e" *hich one to focus on an" *hich complementary skill to "e)elop/ an" *hat the results *ere. %he process is straight for*ar"/ but complements are not al*ays ob)ious. So first *eNll take a closer look at the lea"ership e>ui)alent of cross+ training. !n cross+training/ the combination of t*o acti)ities produces an improvement an interaction effect substantiall greater than either one can produce on its own) There3s nothing m sterious here) 'ombining diet with e4ercise5 for e4ample5 has long been +nown to be substantiall more effective in losing weight than either diet or e4ercise alone) !n their pre)ious research they foun" 1E "ifferentiating lea"ership competencies that correlate strongly *ith positi)e business outcomes such as increase" profitability/ employee engagement/ re)enue/ an" customer satisfaction. Among those 1E/ *e *on"ere"/ coul" *e fin" pairs that *oul" pro"uce significant interaction effects8 ?e searche" through our "atabase of more than a >uarter million 3EL+"egree sur)eys of some 3L/LLL "e)eloping lea"ers for pairings that resulte" in far higher scores on o)erall lea"ership effecti)eness than either attribute "i" on its o*n. %he results *ere unambiguous. %ake/ for e9ample/ the competencies Hfocuses on resultsI an" Hbuil"s relationships.I I ,nly 14@ of lea"ers *ho
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*ere reasonably strong (that is/ score" in the .$th percentile) in focusing on results but less so in buil"ing relationships reache" the e9traor"inary lea"ership le)el: the -Lth percentile in o)erall lea"ership effecti)eness. Similarly/ only 1#@ of those *ho *ere reasonably strong in buil"ing relationships but less so in focusing on results reache" that le)el. 6ut *hen an in"i)i"ual performe" *ell in both categories/ something "ramatic happene": 4ully .#@ of those in the .$th percentile in both categories reache" the -Lth percentile in o)erall lea"er+ ship effecti)eness. Lea"er nee" to engage in the business e>ui)alent of cross+training that is/ to enhance complementary skills that *ill enable them to make fuller use of their strengths. 4or e9ample/ technical skills can become more eecti)e *hen communication skills impro)e/ making a lea"erNs e9pertise more apparent an" more accessible. ,nce a fe* of their strengths ha)e reache" the le)el of outstan"ing/ lea"ers become in"ispensable to their organi2ations "espite the *eaknesses they may ha)e. Building Strengths5 Step b Step: in this case they inclu"e the steps of buil"ing strengths !dentif our strengths:

Strengths can arguably be i"entifie" in a )ariety of *ays. 6ut *e con+ ten" that in the conte9t of effecti)e lea"ership/ your )ie* of your o*n (or e)en some perfectly ob7ecti)e )ie*/ supposing one coul" be ha") is less important than other peopleNs/ because lea"ership is all about your effect on others. %hatNs *hy they start *ith a 3ELOas %om "i". !"eally/ you shoul" go about this in a psychometrically )ali" *ay/ through a formal process in *hich you an" your "irect reports/ peers/ an" bosses anonymously complete >uestionnaires ranking your lea"ership attributes on a >uantitati)e scale. ou an" they shoul" also ans*er some >ualitati)e/ open en"e" >uestions concerning your strengths/ your fatal fla*s (if any)/ an" the relati)e importance of those attributes to the company. 6y Hfatal fla*s/I *e mean fla*s so critical that they can o)erpo*er any strength you ha)e or may "e)elop fla*s that can "erail your career. %he "ifference bet*een being in the bottom thir" of lea"ers an" being almost in the top thir" is a single e9traor"inary strength. ?AA% 3!445&5(C5 CA( A S!('L5 S%&5('%A MAK58 &aising 7ust one competency to the le)el of outstan"ing can up your o)erall lea"ership eecti)eness ranking from the bottom thir" to almost the top thir". 05&C5(%!L5 &A(K!(': 67 L"A1"RS 0!TH #& &8TSTA#1!#$ STR"#$THS 97 L"A1"RS 0!TH &#" :; )))T0& <= )))THR"" <> ))).&8R >
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'hoose strength to focus on according to its importance to the organi?ation and how passionatel ou feel about it: Choices bet*een goo" an" ba" are easy. 6ut choices bet*een goo" an" goo" are "ifficult. they recommen" that "e)eloping lea"ers focus on a competency that matters to the organi2ation an" about *hich they feel some passion/ be+ cause a strength you feel passionate about that is not important to your organi2ation is essentially a hobby/ an" a strength the organi2ation nee"s that you "onNt feel passionate about is 7ust a chore. ou can use your colleaguesN importance ratings from the 3EL assessment to get a some*hat ob7ecti)e )ie* of organi2ational nee"s. 6ut the prospect of follo*ing his passions alarme" %om/ *ho "i"nNt kno* ho* to begin. Ans*ering a series of >uestions ma"e the notion more concrete. 4or each of the 1E competencies/ he ran "o*n the follo*ing list: 3o ! look for *ays to enhance this skill8 @1o ! loo+ for new wa s to use itA Am ! energi?ed5 not e4hausted5 when ! use itA 1o ! pursue proBects in which ! can appl this strengthA 'an ! imagine devoting time to improving itA 0ould ! enBo getting better at this s+illA Counting his HyesI ans*ers ga)e %om a soli" *ay to >uantify his passions. A simple *orksheet sho*e" him ho* his skills/ his passions/ an" the organi2ationNs nee"s "o)etaile". ?hen %om checke" off his top fi)e competencies/ his fi)e passions/ an" the organi2ationNs top priorities/ he coul" see a clear con)ergence. Ae "eci"e" to focus on the strength that/ as it happens/ *e ha)e foun" to be most uni)ersally associate" *ith e9traor"inary lea"ership: Hinspires an" moti)ates others.I

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Select a complementar behaviour: 0eople *ho e9cel at moti)ating others are goo" at persua"ing them to take action an" to go the e9tra mile. %hey effecti)ely e9ercise po*er to influence key "ecisions for the benefit of the organi2ation. %hey kno* ho* to moti)ate "ifferent people in "ifferent *ays. So it *as not surprising that %om alrea"y "i" those things pretty *ell. Ae scanne" the list of competency companions: @ 'onnects emotionall with others "stablishes stretch goals @"4hibits clear vision and direction @ 'ommunicates powerfull and broadl @1evelops others @ 'ollaborates and fosters teamwor+ @ #urtures innovation @Ta+es initiative @ 'hampions change @is a strong role model 1evelop it in a linear wa : Aa)ing settle" on a competency companion/ %om coul" no* *ork at "irectly impro)ing his basic skills in that area. Strong communicators speak concisely an" "eli)er effec+ ti)e presentations. %heir instructions are clear. %hey *rite *ell. %hey can e9plain ne* concepts clearly. %hey help people un"erstan" ho* their *ork con+ tributes to broa"er business ob7ecti)es. %hey can translate terms use" by people in "ifferent functions. %om sa* lots of room for impro)ement here: (o one *oul" e)er call him concise= he "i"nNt al*ays finish sentences heN" starte"= an" he foun" *riting a challenge. %hey *oul" ha)e recommen"e" that he look for as many opportunities as possible/ both insi"e an" out+ si"e *ork/ to impro)e his communication. Ae coul" take a course in business *riting. Ae coul" practice *ith frien"s an" family/ in his church or his community. Ae coul" )olunteer to make presentations to senior management or ask colleagues to criti>ue some of his memos an" e+mails. Ae might )olunteer to help high school stu"ents *rite college application essays. Ae coul" )i"eo tape himself making speeches or 7oin a local %oastmasters club. "4ecutives need a path to enhancing their strengths that is as clear as the one to C4ing their wea+nesses: 5)eryone kno*s someone *ho is too asserti)e/ too technically oriente"/ too focuse" on "ri)ing for results. Many people cite e9amples like these to argue against the *is"om of impro)ing your lea"ership effecti)eness by strengthening your strengths. ,ur research "oes in fact sho* a point *here balance be+ comes important. %he "ata suggest that the "ifference bet*een ha)ing four profoun" strengths an" ha)ing fi)e is a gain of merely # percentage points in o)erall lea"ership effecti)eness. %hus lea"ers *ho are alrea"y e9ceptional shoul" consi"er one more )ariable. ou *ill note in the 0hat S+ills 0ill /agnif / StrengthsA that the =9 differentiating competencies fall into five broader categories: character5 personal capabilit 5 getting results5 interpersonal s+ills5 and leading change) 0eople *ho ha)e man strengths shoul" consi"er ho* they are "istribute" across those categories an" focus impro)ement efforts on an un"errepresente" one. 6ut *e cannot think of a less constructi)e approach to impro)ing your lea"ership effecti)eness than treating your
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strengths as *eaknesses. Aa)e you e)er kno*n anyone *ho ha" too much integrity8 ?as too effecti)e a communicator8 ?as 7ust too inspiring8

3e)eloping competency companions *orks precisely because/ rather than simply "oing more of the same/ you are enhancing ho* you al+ rea"y beha)e *ith ne* *ays of *orking an" inter+ acting that *ill make that beha)iour more effecti)e. 4,C1S!(' ,( your strengths is har"ly a ne* i"ea. 4orty+four years ago 0eter 3rucker ma"e the business case elo>uently in %he 5ffecti)e 59ecuti)e: H1nlessPan e9ecuti)e looks for strength an" *orks at making strength pro"ucti)e/ he *ill only get the impact of *hat a man cannot "o/ of his lacks/ his *eaknesses/ his impe"iments to performance an" effecti)eness. %o staff from *hat there is not an" to focus on *eakness is *asteful a misuse/ if not abuse/ of the human resource.I Since then a bo"y of *ork has gro*n up supporting an" a")ocating for 3ruckerNs approach.

&esearch sho*s ho* big a "ifference "e)eloping a fe* strengths can make. !t is "istressing to fin" that fe*er than 1L@ of the e9ecuti)es *e *ork *ith ha)e any plan to "o so. ?e are con)ince" that the problem is less a matter of con)iction than of e9ecution. 59ecuti)es nee" a path to enhancing their strengths that is as clear as the one to fi9ing their *eaknesses. %hat is the greatest )alue/ *e belie)e/ of the cross+training approach: !t allo*s people to use the linear impro)ement techni>ues they kno* an" un"erstan" to pro"uce a nonlinear result. ,ften e9ecuti)es complain to us that there are not enough goo" lea"ers in their organi2ations. ?e *oul" argue that in fact far too many lea"ers are merely goo". %he challenge is not to replace ba" lea"ers *ith goo" ones= it is to turn people like %om har"*orking/ capable e9ecuti)es *ho are reasonably goo" at their 7obs into outstan"ing lea"ers *ith "istincti)e strengths.

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Learnings:
6uil"ing strengths step by Step 6efore buil" on your strengths/ there is nee" an ob7ecti)e )ie* of *hat they are. !"eally/ this comes from a formal/ conQ"ential 69DEdegree evaluation) But if that3s not possible5 a direct approach can wor+) Tr simpl as+ing our team members5 colleagues5 and boss these simple Fuestions5 either in person or in writing) Cross+training/ the combination of t*o acti)ities for e9ample/ has long been kno*n to be substantially more effecti)e in losing *eight than either "iet or e9ercise alone. !tNs goo" to ha)e Complementary skills *ith core skills. Steps of "e)elop skills that complement *hat you alrea"y "o best.

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