Well you may be wondering how this topic is helpful to Business, but it really is important that we learn from many perspectives and apply those skills. Various breeds are known for their temperament. We used to have Male Boxers. They could be wonderfully agreeable or very independent until we learned the same language. That is true of the different professional people we all deal with if we are involved in a business.
Each business has its own vocabulary. There are acronyms in many of them and to hear a person throw them into a conversation can be disarming. On the one hand do you sound dumb asking or do you ask and see how the person responds to you? As a counselor, there are many in our profession. Even though people know what the letters stand for, it makes me mad that they toss the terms around with such authority. I am thinking of the letters OCD that are used whenever one is describing a family member who tends to be neat and organized. Or ADHD when one sees a child misbehaving and refers to them in that manner. One must be careful to speak clearly about what they truly know.
Well we have Miss Rosy, who is pictured here. She is a great dog and knows what we want by our hand signals, actions, or words. We speak the same language when we use our common language. She can also take a stand and not budge. She has a mind of her own until you stop and take the time to communicate with her. She did that earlier today. First, we had the lawn service people around; she checked them out and then walked in peacefully. Then our water softener salt was delivered and she sat on her bed watching him carry it all in. Then I was rushing her out during my break home at lunchtime to get her nails clipped. I was in a hurry, put on her leash and started out the door. She stopped and there she sat looking at me.
Yes, I am listening!
I realized at that point that the day had already been busy for her. People had moved in and out of her space and now she needed an explanation of sorts to understand where I was taking her. I simply stopped too, because I knew she was not going to move. I explained where we were going and motioned to the car to explain how we were getting there. She instantly relaxed and moved next to me. Happily she jumped onto the rug I placed on the car seat and she waited for me to start the car. At the vets, she saw the Dr. and ran up to him. She knows the routine and responded to his appearance immediately.
Business is like that too. When we trust the people we work with and how to conduct ourselves, we respond well. When procedures, billing, and communication changes, we stop in our tracks and reconsider how we will react to the changes. Sometimes the lack of communication disrupts or destroys the business relationship. Furthermore, we question how sincere the relationship is working. For many years, I was on a handshake at the office where I had my business. There was a mutual respect and none of us violated it.
When we were looking for land to build our home, the man said “just give me $20 bucks in good faith and come back when you are ready.” We were in the midst of having a family member undergo heart surgery and gave him the 20 dollar bill. We really didn’t know if he’d hold the parcel for us. Sure enough, when we returned several months later, he said, “Oh I remember you” and took out of his drawer a paper clipped note with our first names on it and the $20 was still attached. Do you think we trusted him with our plans? Why, of course, and he did a fine job as well. He was a man of his word. Fast forward to 35 years later when his sons were driving through our area. Time passes, but the kindness and trust we had for this man was tops.
Practicing communication skills takes place from the family pet to the integrity of being kind and respectful to others all around us. We see during crisis’ that people respond to helping out. Time we do that on a regular basis 365 days a year. Have a blessed day. Enjoy doing business with the finest of people. Be among the first to set an example.