In problem solving specifically, listening can be the thing that saves you when you find yourself in conflict or crisis. So many times in businesses and companies, we see over and over again that the person in most conflict is the one who is unable to truly listen. They tend to be unilateral in decisions, demeaning, disrespectful and undermining of other people’s thoughts.
When a conflict presents itself, the first thing you should do, as noted above, is to remove yourself. Then sit down and write down all the major people you need to hear from to help move the problem forward, EVEN if you don’t like them.
Who are the people you need to listen to in order to move the problem forward to resolution intelligently?