Unique Beautiful Fun
17 March 2017 by Sarah-Jane Smith
sjsmith.com.au - blog
Listen Carefully
The Best advice I ever Got
I can't remember who said that you should always listen to good advice but you shouldn't always take it! A lot of the good advice I've heard has come not from business gurus or business experts but from friends and family.
One of my dads favourite sayings is, "You catch more flies with honey." In other words, you do better when you're sweet and this can be said to hold true not just in business but in life. If you have a disagreement, if you can avoid losing your temper but discuss an issue in a calm way, you stand a much better chance of getting it sorted - and usually more quickly than flying off the handle.
Another favourite is from the daytime T.V. star Dr Phil. "You wouldn't worry what people thought of you if you knew how seldom they did." Don't give too much time to worrying about others good opinion. It's easy to get caught up in the popularity contest especially in regards to social media but it can be such a time suck. You'd be better off spending most of that time on cultivating your face-to-face relationships. If you have a bad experience with a customer, do what you can to remedy any problems or misunderstandings and then move on.
Some of the other great advice has come from meme's. The reason they're so popular is because people find them to be true and resonating. "The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing and expecting a different income". Pretty self-explanatory really. If something's not working then you need to make a change to change the outcome!
Another of my favourites is "Not my circus - not my monkeys." Beware of getting caught up in dramas that are not of your making and none of your business! You've got better things to do!
And finally, "Listen more than you talk". Don't be tempted to dominate all conversations. You learn a lot more when you let others talk or even take the lead. Making a contribution is important but hogging the limelight all the time is not a good look. Being a good listener is a great skill, not just in business but in life!
Till next time,
Sarah-Jane X
