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Why Listening Is an Immensely Valuable Skill in the Workplace

Listening Is an Immensely Valuable Skill in the Workplace

 

There are certain skills people absolutely must have if they are going to find success in any kind of workplace.

Employees must be able to adapt to constant changes either to their working conditions or even to their job descriptions.

They must also be capable of executing the instructions handed down to them and provide results within a reasonable amount of time.

There’s one more thing that a good worker should be able to do on a consistent basis or else this individual may struggle to hold down a job and that is none other than listening.

It should be very easy to understand why listening is a requirement for anyone in the workplace.

Within this hectic environment, directives and messages can very frequently become misunderstood either because they were conveyed in the wrong manner or because the people they were meant for failed to listen properly.

Now, that sounds like something that can be resolved pretty easily, but that it even has to be addressed is the issue.

Each and every second of the workday is precious and spending any of it on a task that should have been done already is simply unacceptable.

On top of that, breakdowns in the line of communications that may seem minor at first can fester and grow into bigger problems if left unaddressed.

It may start innocuously enough with just one employee struggling to get the message, but it won’t be long before more people start to share the same problem as well.

This is why when employers are looking for new people to hire, along with seeing if a particular candidate can execute the tasks linked to a certain job; it would be wise if they also took some time to check if the potential hire’s listening skills are up to snuff.

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The Pros and Cons of Relying on your Comfort Zone

There are so many sayings and catchy lines out there about taking risks and being bold that it almost seems like a bad thing to dwell and enjoy your own little comfort zone.

The truth is that comfort zones exist because people need them.

Comfort zones provide familiarity and shelter from many of life’s scariest and most intimidating moments.

Comfort zones give people a break from the challenging things they are going through, while simultaneously serving as something that can help them recharge and take on the challenges they need to confront in the future.

There comes a point when holding on to these comfort zones turns into something that is no longer beneficial, and it may even be damaging.

For instance, a hardworking employee might pass up a chance for a promotion even though he deserves it because the new position carries greater responsibilities. It can be easy to shun it and retreat into a comfort zone, and in the process, a great opportunity is wasted.

That’s obviously not ideal, and it’s also not ideal when even the smartest risks are not taken simply because they threaten the concept of the comfort zone.

Comfort zones are helpful and needed, but they should not be relied upon all of the time.

Being risk-free is fine to a certain point, but being too afraid to take chances of any kind is one way to go nowhere fast.

Every now and then, it’s wise to leave behind the comfort zone and embrace uncertainty and take a leap of faith, especially when taking a chance that may never present itself again.

Comfort zones can keep a person emotionally balanced, but not detached and afraid.

A comfort zone is, after all, just a zone. There’s a wonderful world waiting to be explored outside of it, and it’s one worth taking the risk.

 

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Inspiring employees to give their best performances

People have varied reasons for working the jobs they do.

Many may be at their current jobs out of necessity, since working a job that they may not like all that much is still better than having no reliable source of income.

Some may be fortunate enough to have jobs that they are extremely passionate about, allowing them to earn money while also living their dreams.

There’s definitely something that makes people work. The reasons may vary, but for an employer, a better question to ask is what can make an employee work better.

Employers are constantly looking for ways of inspiring employees to give their best performances. But it’s rarely enough to just give them important responsibilities or high salaries to get them motivated and working their best.

Instead of offering material gains or greater power, employers can motivate their people better by letting them understand that the different tasks they are asked to accomplish every day matter.

Employers can further detail the importance of a particular employee’s role and in the process make that individual understand that they are not just some cog in a machine.

If they are given more information, and it is revealed to them that the tasks they complete are essential, then they may be able to respond by producing higher quality output even on normal days at work.

Inspiring employees as opposed to simply providing them with incentives to chase after is the better way to draw out their best work, and it can even remain effective over an extended period of time as opposed to just serving momentary motivation.

The employees that work because they are inspired to do so are the ones companies will really want, as their desire to make a real difference can also lead to bigger and better things for everyone involved.

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Staying positive in the midst of challenges

Trying times come for everyone. They may be the unpleasant yet necessary parts of life that help define and shape people, but it’s hard to recognize them as such in the moment.

When different events in your life are seemingly conspiring to bring you down, seeing the positive side of things becomes extremely difficult, if not downright impossible to do, which is unfortunate.

It’s unfortunate because these most difficult of times are when people most need to keep their attitudes upbeat and their thoughts positive. However, it’s not always that simple.

Before the downward spiral, it’s easy to repeat positive platitudes in order to prepare yourself for what’s to come, but when it actually comes to putting those platitudes into practice, it’s not quite as simple as anymore.

Staying positive in the midst of challenges can be a struggle in itself. But, you should never lose hope.

What that entails is recognizing that the situation you are in currently is probably not ideal, but also not losing sight of the likelihood that things will not stay that way permanently.

When you take it upon yourself to actually evaluate what is going on in your life and more specifically, when you try to figure out why things are going wrong, then you will gain important insight into your situation that may have otherwise gone undiscovered if you just wallowed in negativity.

By staying positive and evaluating your situation carefully, you may even be able to find out that this bad stretch is coming to an end soon enough, and that hope and help are indeed on the way.

If things are starting to go wrong, one of the worst things people can do is to just let things happen. Instead, they need to at least try to objectively examine what’s going on and realize that bad things come to an end too.

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Success, take bigger risks

That first taste of success is something to savor, it’s something indelible yet fleeting, and it alone can satisfy many individuals and give them a reason to rest on their laurels.

People can be forgiven for taking in the fruits of their labor, for stopping for a while in order to admire what they have done, but doing all of this should also come with the realization that where things stand now is good, but there’s still something better waiting to be discovered.

It’s easy to think of success as an endpoint, as something definitive and final that can be substantial enough to validate years and years of hard work, and in many respects, it is.

The success that comes in the form of recognition from one’s peers or material success that allows someone to secure a stable future are ones that are extremely precious.

But those specific types of success are the exact ones that should give individuals, even more, reasons to aim for something better.

Securing a future for yourself is good and all, but if continuing to work on something better can help secure a future for yourself and your loved ones, then that is obviously significantly better.

Success, more than anything, should act like a key opening up doors to more opportunities that may have been previously inaccessible. Success should embolden people to take bigger risks now that they have something to fall back on, knowing that the potential reward is greater than any loss that may be incurred.

Instead of looking at success as some kind of stop sign, a little shift in perception will enable people to understand that this can act as a starting point for something more meaningful.

The greatest successes are waiting to be claimed, and it’s those who go after them without any pause who will be in the best position to obtain them.

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Supposedly, constructive criticism is given with the intention of making you better.

Constructive criticism is given with the intention of making someone better.

 

Deep down, people understand their imperfections. They understand their limitations, their shortcomings, and even their failings.

It’s innately human to be imperfect, and yet it doesn’t sting any less once those flaws of yours get thrown back at you.

It is what makes the concept of criticism, specifically constructive criticism, so interesting.

Supposedly, constructive criticism is given with the intention of making you better.

Someone finds a flaw in you, it gets identified, you work on it and remove it.

In theory, constructive criticism should be a good thing, but the issue is that these types of comments are rarely understood or delivered in the correct way, leading to misunderstandings.

Constructive criticism can oftentimes just come off as mean-spirited or even self-righteous.

Still, being criticized and getting better from it is crucial to long-term improvement, so things needed to be done to deliver and interpret criticism properly.

Starting with the delivery of critiques, this needs to be done sincerely, and as much as possible, the comments also need to be given within a private setting. After all, pointing out someone’s flaws in public isn’t so much criticizing as it is just plain humiliating someone and that’s not what is needed.

Even when pointing out someone’s mistake, respect needs to be present at all times. And this fulfills half of the constructive criticism equation.

The other half is now dependent upon the recipient of the criticism and how he/she reacts to it.

Instead of brushing off or ignoring the critique, the recipient needs to really listen and evaluate what is being said. There’s a chance that the problem being pointed out is one he/she may not even be aware of, and in that scenario, yes constructive criticism exists and it can prove to be very helpful as well.

Constructive criticism is very much a real thing, and the only reasons why it doesn’t seem to be at times is because the people delivering and receiving it aren’t doing so correctly.