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Marketing, sales, and operations, simply put, are conversations. Like any good communication, these involve speaking and, just as important, listening.

Master the art of communication, and you can master these critical areas of business.

Surveys, customer reviews, conference feedback, polls, suggestion boxes – these are just some of the means companies use to portray a sense of listening to their employees and clients or customers.

But do they really listen?

Many do. But, also, many don’t.

It is the difference between…

“Wow, they listened and implemented my idea! What a great company! You should check them out,” and

“Why bother? No one really listens.”

Company leaders who do listen ultimately succeed. Those who don’t struggle all the way to the bottom line.

Good leaders know that communication is a two-way street, with listening being just as important as speaking. And when they listen, they learn.

Here are some of things they learn.

1. New ideas
2. New perspectives
3. New insights into what really matters to their people
4. What is working and not working
5. Needs they can fill
6. What people like – and just as importantly what they don’t like
7. Guideposts – what parts of the conference worked, which speakers resonated, what topics were of most interest
8. How to improve products, processes, and services
9. How to increase income and contain costs

Go ahead, gather the data and have the conversations. And then, take action. Acknowledge what you are hearing and let your people see, by your actions, that you are listening.

There is real, intrinsic value in listening.

And there is even greater value in taking action based on what you have learned.

Curious how your company measures up in this area, with real data you can take to the bank?  Connect with us or take the assessment here (https://www.orgiqsuite.com/). Get your Culture Scorecard today and get back on track to success.

Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after executive coach, mentor, consultant, and speaker worldwide. Deb is well versed in business operations and in the importance of asking key questions most business leaders won’t ask themselves. She brings deep experience in leadership development, strategy, high performance team building and effective communication. She has a passion for leading people to discover and maximize their strengths as well as those of fellow team members, while offering advanced strategies to achieve high performance. Deb is the perfect fit if you’re ready to take your leadership and impact to the next level!