Well, in his book, “Becoming a Person of Influence<\/strong>“, there is a passage which states, “if you can’t work with people and understand <\/strong>them, you cannot accomplish anything. And you certainly can’t\u00a0 become a person of influence<\/em>.”<\/p>\n Let me examine this for a moment.\u00a0\u00a0 Is this true?<\/p>\n When I recall working in a home care environment (working with and for residents who were physically challenged),\u00a0 what do I remember about that time?<\/em><\/p>\n Truthfully, I can recall that it was necessary (at times) to take a step back to reflect on what had just been\u00a0 said to me.\u00a0\u00a0 If I didn’t do this, misperceptions<\/strong> would occur.<\/p>\n This would then develop into problems that affected the residents<\/em>, the very people I was to care for !<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was a labor-intensive position (taking care of others) and so essential to be a good listener<\/strong>!<\/p>\n In our society, lack of understanding (misunderstanding) <\/strong>is a frequent problem.<\/p>\n In fact, in John Maxwell<\/strong>‘s Becoming a Person of Influence<\/strong>, he says that 3 of the reasons people misunderstand<\/strong> others are:<\/p>\n Be Honest with yourself – ask yourself if you’ve ever felt fear<\/strong> or prejudice toward another individual (perhaps someone of a different race or religion who you just “did not get”)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Things Everyone Needs to Understand about People <\/p>\n The key here is:\u00a0\u00a0 Choose to Understand Others<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In understanding others<\/strong>,\u00a0 you should consider the following:<\/em><\/p>\n Now, take a brief test on yourself.\u00a0\u00a0 Rate Yourself Honestly<\/strong> :<\/p>\n How did you score?<\/em> If you were number 3 or 4,\u00a0 you might consider picking up\u00a0 John Maxwell’s Becoming A Person of Influence<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The key here is:\u00a0\u00a0 Choose to Understand Others<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Oftentimes, people are fearful in the workplace; they’re afraid to contribute their ideas, because they tend to fear one of the following:<\/p>\n On the flip side, let’s look at this from the point of view of the co-workers – what is their level of understanding<\/em> as they listen and try to understand<\/strong><\/span> a co-workers idea?<\/p>\n If your desire is to have a POSITIVE Impact on the world, then you NEED to be able to understand<\/strong> others.\u00a0 Don’t let your prejudices, or initial fears of your co-worker get in the way.\u00a0 Set these aside, and LISTEN with respect.\u00a0 Have an open mind.\u00a0 <\/strong>For once you have the ability to understand others, you can potentially influence EVERY other aspect of life.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Understanding people<\/strong> greatly affects your ability to communicate with others; the worst thing you can do when you are speaking to people is to put the priority on expressing your feelings & ideas.\u00a0 You need to look outward, into the eyes<\/strong> of your co-workers – and be ready to listen to their ideas openly, and with respect.\u00a0 For this is what people SECRETLY want – to be LISTENED to, and understood<\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thus, the moment you get the words out, you should become “all ears” – be an empath<\/strong>, and FOCUS on being a keen listener.\u00a0 Show respect to the person speaking (don’t look distracted, or disinterested for a moment) – and only once they have completely finished can you paraphrase<\/strong> what the speaker said, to re-enforce your understanding and support for their viewpoint.<\/p>\n Now, the foundation has been set.\u00a0 The two of you can potentially come to a meeting of the minds<\/em>.\u00a0 For the MOMENT that people sense they are being understood, the more motivated<\/span> they become to understand your point of view.<\/p>\n![\"good-listener\"](\"http:\/\/selfimprovement.info-just-for-u.com\/blogger\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/LISTENING-WELL-300x281.jpg\")
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