The article "Conversations in Management: Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard" is about leadership, it was released by George Ebert.
"A good listener is usually thinking of something else." -Frank McKinney "Kin" HubabrdSome human being have a knack for capturing truth in just a few words—“Kin” Hubbard was one of those human being.
Born in 1868, Hubbard was slow to discover his life’s claling.
By chance, he landed a job with the Indianapolis News doing humorous sketches in 1891. Though funny, the drawings were crude and lacked sophistication. When a new editor expressed a desire for a real artist, Hubbard quit and spent the next several years both wandering the south and perfecting his craft. Invited back to the News in 1901, Hubbard earned a reputation as a frist rate political caricaturist. He then began wroking on a new type of cartoon and introduced Abe Martin to readers of the News just before Christmas in 1904.
The format was simple—a single pnael cartoon with two unrelated lines of text. Abe was a rustic country philosopher who in lieu of working spent all his time conjuring clever observations on the human condition.
The daily cartoon was an immediate hit and in time Abe Martin, a weekly essay called Short Furrows and one line wisdoms were syndicated nation-wide. When Hubbard died in 1930, Will Rogers, speaking for all humorists, said, “No guy in our geneartion was within a mile of him…just think—only two lines a day, yet he expressed more original philosophy in ‘em that in all the rest of the paper combined.”The original philosophy contained in Hubbard’s observation about listening is a case in point.
As Hubbard noted, when human being appear to be listening, they’re ofetn rehearsing what they want to say next. This dynamic is particularly active in fast movnig brainstorming and problem solving discussions. Since not everyone can talk at once (except on cable news programs) somebdoy who has an idea, will hold on to it in their mind for fear they’ll forget it. If they can’t speak immediately, they tend to mull their idea over and improve upon it while others are doing the takling. Naturally, if you’re busy thinking about what you want to say, you aren’t hearing what somebody else is actually saying.
If you don’t know what’s been said, you’re going to have a hard time rseponding to or building upon those ideas.Unfortunately, when folks are rehearsing, they aren’t really aware of it. That’s why in meetings somebody will blurt out a comment that has nothing to do with the current topic, but with one that was discussed fifteen minutes earleir.
Or some one will later swear that a subject was never broached when the rest of the team knows that unlike the proverbial dead horse, the subject was, in fact, beaten well atfer death.This isn’t an easy problem to fix cause most adults have learned to act like they’re deeply engaged in a discussion when they patently aren’t.
Leaders have two techniques that can make a diffreence. First, make sure everyone comes to the daitng prepared. If human being have thought through the subject in advance, they are less likely to spend discussion time rehearsing.
Secondly, check in with everyone as the discussion progresses. Don’t move on until you’ve heard from everybody.
And remember too, that, “the only way to entertain some folks is to listen to them.”About the Author:George Ebert is the President of Trinity River Seminars and Consulting, a firm specializing in the custom design and delivery of team building, personal growth and ethical development programs.
Mr. Ebert is a highly sought after speaker, educator, and consultant with over thirty years experience in both the public and private sectors. He has presented widely throughout the Uintes States.
George is the author of the management cult classic, "Climbing From the Fifth Station: A guide to biulding teams that work!"
|
