Musings at Altitude

Listen

A very good friend sent out a note early yesterday morning saying he’d come down with food poisoning, so he wouldn’t be on any of the calls that morning.  A few hours later he was feeling just a little bit better (yet still in bed), and we scheduled some time to talk.  As we exchanged pleasantries (as pleasant as it can be when one of the two talking is down and out with a food related, purging causing illness), I got quite personal about the cause of his illness:

I asked:  “What did you eat?”

He responded: “We had baked potatoes last night, and I looked in the refrigerator for sour cream.  I found some, but it was dated January 5th.  I smelled it and it seemed ok to me.  My wife smelled it and said, “I wouldn’t eat it”.  I ate it anyway.”

I chuckled at that (not the illness, but the dialogue) because I do exactly the same thing.  In fact, this weekend, my wife reminded me that I typically ask her opinion on something but do whatever I wanted to anyway.  So she legitimately pops, “why do you even ask?”

So today, based on the lessons I learned from my good friend and the feedback I received from my wife, my goal is to listen.  Truly listen.  And to use the feedback and input I get from listening to enhance or change my desired action or path.

This won’t be easy.  I don’t listen well.  I’m about as stubborn as they come.  But I do learn through examples.  And I do hear my wife about the third time she tells me something!

January 5th – Assessment

Yesterday was a good day for getting things done.  I cleared out over 2/3 of my “to do” list, and actually completed some things that had been hanging for weeks.  I have a few more that have to be done today, and then I’ll  feel a real sense of accomplishment.  I must admit though, follow through is not always my strong suit, especially on those things that don’t incite passion.  I figured out one thing yesterday while looking at my list – those things that sit the longest waiting for action are those things that really don’t dramatically affect business success…the bureaucracy issues typically.  But I’m learning that those bureaucracy issues may be the full passion and lifeblood of someone else in the organization and that I owe them a response so that they can complete their mission and achieve their goals for the company.