Author Archives: volerin

Listen. by Jann Sabin

I never looked at someone and thought, “This guy listens too much.” Have you? Whether you’re a doctor or a  sales rep or a spouse, no one will think poorly of you for listening.  True listening, not the kind where you’re just waiting to talk, is a rare skill. Real listeners, are at that moment, just hearing what you are saying. I read that a movie director judged an actor’s ability not by how he talked in a scene, but in how he listened. ..that a good actor was actively listening, not just blank while waiting for their line to come up.  Do you really listen? If not, when you do, what is different about that conversation?

 

How to tell if people are interested in your story. by Jann Sabin

Have you noticed that when someone is telling you something that catches your interest,  you’re prone to interrupt?  We follow along with a story, and if we have a question, we interrupt.  For example, someone is telling you about his visit with Bob, and you wonder,” What did he say when you said that?” Or, “What do you think he meant?”  You’re paying attention and interested, and sometimes you just need to fill in some blanks.  I find interrupting to be a great sign. It tells you that the  listener is involved.

Tell a story that is interesting about your company, then put in place the channels for people to “interrupt”. That’s one way to start a conversation.

Even Apple needs more than fans.

Apple is a great example of the deep ongoing ramifications of culture. Follow me. Here’s the path:

We know how much our childhood determines our adulthood. (If you read Jobs’ biography, you meet a defensive, paranoid genius).

And we know how much a company’s culture determines…well, everything.

A Mac is the only computer I’ve ever used, and all of my other electronics are Mac. i.e. iPod, iPhone, Ipad. However, I’m constantly frustrated, and moreso lately, by Apple’s closed ecosystem and mindset.  This is cultural. And in today’s landscape, it just doesn’t seem viable to me.  I wonder if the death of Steve Jobs will open the door to a more open culture?  Any thoughts?