Why Observation Matters More Than You Think
Harvey Mackay’s recent column about workplace observation was excellent and a good summary of why observing what’s going on around you is a good thing.
Don’t have your eyes glued to your iPhone or your computer all the time.
Here are Mackay’s maxims on observation (with some added comments by us):
- Be present. Focus on the task or the meeting at hand. Don’t be thinking about tomorrow or next week’s meeting. Being focused will also allow you to pick up details around you that you might otherwise miss.
- Practice active listening. It’s ok to grunt something occasionally, but be more active than that: say something every once in a while, that indicates you’ve heard what the speaker has said. Pay attention to what others are saying, too; they will appreciate it.
- Ask questions. Your questions should indicate that you’ve heard what’s been said. Don’t be like George Noory on Coast to Coast AM and ask a question that indicates you weren’t listening.
- Take notes. In fact, if you record the conversation, OpenAI has a feature that will take notes for you.
- Reflect and analyze. After a conversation or a meeting, take a moment to reflect on what was said (or not said) and what it means. Write down or dictate any patterns or insights that you have.
- Observe body language. You can get clues about attendees’ behaviors by just observing how they act during the meeting. Calm and relaxed? Fidgety? What do these behaviors mean?
- Stay curious. Cultivate a mindset of curiosity. Stay curious about what’s going on around you. This attitude will promote deeper understanding.
- Limit multitasking. You might seem more distracted if you’re multitasking and not completely present in the discussion. You might also miss important details.
- Engage in regular feedback. Seek feedback on your performance or anything else from peers and mentors. Mentors want to help you, and peers are generally interested in your success, too.
- Observe the behaviors of your competitor CEOs. What do you think? Are they to be feared or run over? If you do the latter, will they slander you?