Do you limit your own success by resisting new ideas about ways to reduce your work challenges? Are you convinced that, by working hard or being incredibly busy, you will make more money, get that new client (or promotion)? We often tend to ignore anyone that doesn’t buy into our excuses for not achieving our desired results. We may fail to realize that working smarter—not harder–is the keystone to achieving great results.
1. Brainstorm ALL ideas. What may initially seem like a repetitive conversation can trigger new solutions. While you are generating new ideas, do not fall into the insidious trap of prematurely deciding good vs. bad, right vs. wrong, or yes vs. no.
2. Listen to the advice of others, selectively. While everyone and anyone can help us if we truly listen, many times we’ll use the excuse of needing more information instead of taking the necessary actions we know we need to take to resolve the issue or launch the new project.
3. Multi-tasking is a myth. Being a problem solver requires us to listen and set aside our other activities and thoughts during the conversation. Thinking about our next meeting, playing spider solitaire or reading emails while in a conversation will have us miss nuances that could mean great solutions. Worse, the other person in these conversations stops talking about anything significant; they know you’re not really listening!
(c)Jeannette Seibly, 2010