Business management and the art of listening

Michael Saltzstein emphasizes the importance of proper listening in the overall success of a business. After all, listening, one of the most common forms of reception in the workplace, is half of communication. And he stresses, when done right (yes, there’s such a thing as a wrong way of listening), listening can benefit everyone in the office.

First things first—let’s take a look at the two types of listening that apply to today’s workforce.

The first type is listening to employees. This is important to keep in mind during expansion, especially for those in management. When more personnel are added to the company, those in higher positions may have a hard time knowing what happens at the ground level. Listening to everyone helps in this situation. Knowing about certain concerns and situations guides managers and supervisors in making certain business decisions.

The second type of listening involves listening to peers. Through this type of listening, business leaders can be aware of certain trends and forecasts and anything else that may affect the company in the future. This also helps younger business leaders learn more about running a company. The trick though here, is to find the right people to listen to.

What are your thoughts on listening? Feel free to share them with Michael Saltzstein, in the comments section below.

Michael Saltzstein is a visionary leader of global risk services, financial structures, multi-line claims, and strategic planning and enterprise initiatives. He is effective in delivering multimillion-dollar expense reductions and bottom-line improvement, maximizing coverage, and minimizing cost. For more reads on risk management, visit this blog.