Too Much Talk, Not Enough Observation!
We spend most of our days just getting things done but how about sitting back calmly for a short 30 minutes and observe your staff or clients. I was once told a story by a very successful man who told one of his managers that he did not pay her to work but paid her to observe work and adjust it accordingly. There is a wise message to be taken from that.
Since my earliest days of personal development study, my mantra has always “learn something new every day.” More easily defined, I pay attention to everything and everyone.There are very few brand-new ideas. When I get one, if it’s an offshoot of someone else, the first thing I do is acknowledge my source. Makes me feel better, and makes my source a resource, not a copyright infringement.My power of observation has also paid MAJOR DIVIDENDS in sales. Using it on the sales call has often led to the right question, the right dialogue, uncovering my prospects buying motives, and big sales. I walk in ultra-prepared, and don’t have to worry about what I’m going to be asked or what I’m going to say. Rather, I can focus on what’s going on around me. I’m observing my prospect, his office, his desk, his way of dressing, his language, and everything about him that my relaxed state allows me to look at and learn.I find most people to be somewhere between wrapped up in their own world and oblivious. Okay, so HOW do you observe, HOW do you pay attention, and HOW do you learn?HERE’S THE SECRET: It’s not just observing or paying attention. You must “combine” your abilities as you see things to get the maximum understanding:• Combine observing and thinking.• Combine observing and understanding.• Combine observing and asking questions.• Combine observing and coming to some conclusion, idea, or AHA!• Combine observing and comparing to what you already know to be true.• Combine observing with being open, positive, and eager to learn.I refer to it as self-collaboration.It’s what you see – compared or combined with what you already know. Paying attention and observing costs zero, but it’s worth a fortune. It can be your fortune, too. Paying attention and observing has given me the biggest opportunity for new knowledge and new information.It can be YOUR biggest opportunity, too, if you decide to harness the asset you already possess.