Music is served … - Irish American News

January 2006 IRISH AMERICAN NEWS 45Listen, you can improve your lifeImagine, the first panel of a cartoon showinga medieval castle under siege. Thesecond panel shows a salesman trying tosell a .50 caliber machine gun to one of theknights. The third panel shows the bosstelling the knight to send the salesmanaway, he doesn’t have time to see (listen)to some sales person.The recently deceased Dr. Patrick Scanlonof Loyola University’s Medical Schoolcontinuously told his students that if youlisten to your patients, probably as manyas 90% will tell you what is wrong withthem. Yet we don’t see many doctors thatactually listen to a recitation of your ills.This same practice is equally widespreadin business. Bob McCoy, a former EVPwith Dominicks Finer Foods says that90% or more of bosses don’t get solidinput from their subordinates.Why doesn’t the boss listen? Is s/he toobusy to pay attention? Or is s/he too focusedon something else? Are there toomany other things going on at the sametime? Are they distracted by other pressingmatters? Is it possible that they don’t wantto hear the news they’re being told? Couldit be that the issue is even more basic? Havewe been trained by our parents (or otherauthority figures) that we can’t get theirattention unless our conduct is outrageous.Or are we the victims of our own arrogance---we have the answers, all of them.In a recent Masterpiece Theater performance,the Virgin Queen (Elizabeth) ofEngland says to her key confidant on herascendancy to the throne, you must tellme the truth even if I am upset with youfor doing so. I will try to never hold yourmessage against you, for you are my mostimportant confidant.In William Manchester’s book, Goodbye,Darkness, he describes an incident thathappened to him during World War II inthe Pacific. Marine Sergeant Manchesterand his men were pinned down behind asea wall, waiting for the Japanese automaticfire to stop. A young officer tells himthat they are going over the top to knockout the enemy pill boxes. Manchester tellshim that neither he nor his men are goingto “go over the top” regardless what thisofficer says. They are combat veteransand they know better. The officer calledAnne’s Irish Knits522 Main St., Evanston847-998-8426HAND KNIT SWEATERSFOR MEN, WOMEN &CHILDREN…ALSO, LADIES CASHMERE& WOOL CAPES, JACKETS,SKIRTS, IRISH LINEN DRESSESAND ACCESSORIES. email: annemckeown@comcast.netManchester and his men cowards. Hethen leads the non existent charge andis killed within a few feet. Manchestersays that he should have listened to thecombat veterans and he would probablyhave lived out the day, but he “knew” betterthan they. His unwillingness to listengot him killed.If you are the boss/supervisor/president/or parent, how can you elicit legitimateinput? You need to be PRESENT for thepersons in your life, whether at home orthe plant or office. If not, someone willultimately tell you that you weren’t therefor them. You simply weren’t listening.Commonly people hope that you will accepttheir input, but may not necessarilyanticipate that you implement their particularpoint of view. But they do want tofeel that they have had a chance to statetheir beliefs or conclusions.I have spent a good part of my professionallife dealing with senior executives.Frankly, I cannot recall very many ofthem admitting that they didn’t listen totheir subordinates. Most seem to feel thatthey listen closely to their staff. But whenI talk to their staff members privatelymost of them say the same thing, “theydon’t listen” Many times the supervisorbelieves his own “press clippings”; that hehas all the answers. The supervisor maymake comments like “I don’t want to hearabout losses.” Why? Because it doesn’t fitinto the person’s plans. Their smugnessor arrogance won’t let them accept theinformation intelligently.Wouldn’t you think that the boss who ispaying good salaries throughout his organizationwould want to hear their insightsor their opinions? But frequently subordinatesreport that they find that the bossis preoccupied, inattentive, distant or distracted.There is no doubt that you need tobe more attentive to your subordinates andthe information they are providing you.Listening to your subordinates clearlypays off. The McDonald Corporationstates proudly that a great number of theirproducts have been developed by theirfranchisees. Many of us know peoplewho own 20-30 patents. They developedproducts because they understood theirprocesses very well. And their bosseslistened. How about your company?Maybe you should leave a copy of thisarticle on your boss’ desk (anonymously,if you please).The boss needs to make himself availableto the employees of the organization,without any barriers. S/he needs to walkthe plant floor. S/he needs to be seen asvulnerable. S/he should make it quiteclear that an unwelcome comment is ashelpful as a welcomed one (defined asbeing in agreement with the boss’ beliefs).The boss has a lot of power over theiremployees: salary level, job security andcareer advancement. Think about it, whois going to challenge that unless they believeit is permissible. Many employeesare risk adverse; particularly in thesevolatile times.Now if you are on the other side of thedesk trying to get your boss’ attention, youmight consider these few thoughts. Youneed to establish your credibility early andoften. You need to reinforce your image asa positive contributor. You want the bestfor the total corporation. You want to helpto make your boss feel secure. You are nottrying to undermine anyone. Rather youare striving to help the boss reach higherlevels within the organization. You areworking in the best interests of the boss.Of course, your ideas may not be acceptedthe first or second time, but persistencewill pay off. Stay the course.Recognize that many of us confuse ourego with our integrity. You NEVER surrenderyour integrity, or you are lost. Butif you are being honest, the issue mightbe your ego. Be honest with yourself,which is really at stake? Pick your battlescarefully.Always use a respectful tone when youdisagree with the boss. Such deferencedoes not mean that you don’t believe inyour position 100%, but rather it is to youradvantage to always be courteous and wellspoken in stating your position.Work out a logical approach on how youare going to present your data. Have awritten agenda for any meeting of morethan just a few minutes. Demonstratethat this meeting is important and you arewell prepared; this is not a casual hallwayconversation. Think carefully about how toframe your comments, so others can readilyGaffney TravelServing the Irish Community of Chicagoland Since 1969IrelandApple VacationsEuropeCruisesVisit our Websitewww.gaffneytravel.comDisneyworldLas VegasOffering Over 300 IRELAND TOURS& Low Hertz Car Rentals in Ireland4560 West 103 rd • Oak Lawn708 636-1683Email: sales@gaffneytravel.comaccept them. Clearly state how your approachwould help the company. If the bossis a big sports fan, maybe the use of sportanalogies would facilitate the conversation.Apply the KISS (keep it simple, stupid)principle. I got an email from a friend ofmine recently and he said he could makethe simplest matter complex. Why wouldsomeone want to do that?So if you are a boss or have a boss or wishto be a boss, you must learn to be sensitiveto the communication needs integral tothe process of human interaction. CarpeDiem.James F. Fitzgerald is the president ofJames F. Fitzgerald & Associates, Inc. anOak Brook based senior executive careertransition and executive coaching firm.Phone number 630-684-2204. Email:jamesffitz@sbcglobal.net. Jim is also theChairman of the Board for the CareerTransitions Center of ChicagoVacationGalena RentalsExperience the scenic beautyof Ireland in Galena, ILfor a vacation in Resort Homeswithout Resort Prices773-631-5253Toll free 866-GalenaRentalse-mailGalenaRentals@ameritech.netVisit www.GalenaRentals.comIrish owned & operatedTRAVEL SERVICE274 Rouse Ave., Mundelein, IL 60060Phone: 847-566-3301www.sullivanstravels.comLe t u s h e l p yo u e x p e r i e n c e Ir e l a n dSe l f-d r i v e n, Coa c ho r Ch au f f e u r-d r i v e nGadabout Travel10552 S Roberts Rd. • Palos HillsSpecializing In Ireland For Over 30 YearsWinner: SouthlandBest Travel AgencyWinner: Illinois IrishBusiness of the YearFULL SERVICE AGENCYWe Can Customize ANY ItineraryCruises • Disney • GroupsMexico & Hawaii708-974-1300www.gadabouttravel.com