Power Listening Review - Book Report/Review Example

Book review- ‘Power Listening’ In his book ‘Power Listening’, Bernard Ferrari argues that poor listening often causes most of the bad decisions that afflict organizations. According to Ferrari, active listening accounts for the difference between profit and loss making within organizations (Ferrari 8). The author argues that these poor decisions can become avoided by inculcating the art of good listening among business leaders. In his book, he offers a step by step procedure that gets intended to assist the reader to develop the art of active listening that will help them to shape and focus conversations they indulge in. Most of the problems afflicting many businesses today can get attributed to poor decision making by the leaders in charge. Poor decision making in businesses impacts negatively on business performance and the overall performance of a nation’s economy (Ferrari 40). Poor decision making in business also trickles down to negatively affect the finances of individuals. He argues that in most performance reviews, a countless number of managers get told to become better listeners. Business leaders and executives need to develop the skill of better listening as proposed by Ferrari. Ferrari postulates that listening is the most powerful tool that any businessperson should have at his or her disposal (Ferrari 112). He claims to have witnessed first hand why listening is not simply a ‘soft skill’ required of a business person. Very often, business persons fail to listen. They only get to listen to ideas that get aligned with theirs and discard others opinions. Listening to other people’s thoughts helps one to gain and develop wisdom. The more thoughts one gets to listen to, the more he or she develops his or her decision making skills. It is vital that business persons get to listen to their customers, employees, suppliers, and market analysts. By listening more and actively, business persons can get to pick their decisions from a multi-faceted pool of thoughts. This allows them to make better informed decisions that impact positively on their organizations. Active listening as a tool allows business leaders to receive feedback on their products and services. This in turn assists them to make vital adjustments to their businesses where necessary. Active listening as a tool necessitates collaboration and teamwork in a business. Collaboration and teamwork are vital to any business’s positive performance. It is impossible for business leaders to achieve collaboration or teamwork without getting themselves and their team members to listen and communicate with each other. Active listening is a guiding tool and necessity for any business leader. Ferrari argues that good listening creates a clear focus within an organization resulting to greater efficiency. A clarity in focus and greater efficiency within an organization means that there is increased chances of making better decisions within the organization (Ferrari 63). This argument applies to the employees and business leaders concerned with an organization. Good listening ensures that both leaders and employees get to clearly understand the processes required for the operation of the business. Clarity in understanding the processes involved within a business operation ensures that employees and leaders become more efficient in their functions. Increasing the efficiency of leaders and employees within an organization ensures that a business gets to operate at its optimum and thus increase its productivity. Greater efficiency also implies that a business gets to increase its profitability. Business leaders require to clearly point out the goals and visions of their organizations through their interactions with employees, customers, and suppliers. Bringing out a clear focus of the organization’s goals requires that these leaders become active listeners in their communication and interaction with the business’s community. Increasing the clarity of the business’s vision and goals allows the people concerned with the business to make better and informed choices. Good listening is vital towards making key decisions that influence business operation as it enhances clarity and improves efficiency within the organization. Ferrari reveals that good listening may turn out to be the difference between having a long career or a short one (Ferrari 96). This postulation holds water. Active listening increases an individual’s efficiency within an organization. Good listening helps to shape an individual’s focus at an organization. One gets to make better decisions by listening attentively to customers, employees, and suppliers. By listening carefully to employees, suppliers, and customers, business leaders get to make better choices that positively affect the performance of their organizations. For one to have a long and successful career, it is vital that he or she gets to make informed choices most of the time. Making better choices within an organization gets heavily influenced by good listening. Good listening assists managers to make better choices that heavily influence the profitability of their organizations. Running a well coordinated organization requires that excellent communication forms the backbone of the business’s operation. It is paramount that for a leader to have a long career, he or she has to become an excellent communicator. Excellent communication relies greatly on active listening. To lengthen one’s career, one has to become an excellent communicator. Excellent communication becomes greatly affected by listening. How well does one listen? Ferrari’s assessment is correct. Good listening can be the difference between lengthening or shortening an individual’s career. According to Ferrari, good listening implies asking questions, challenging assumptions, and making good judgment based on the context of every interaction (Ferrari 152). These three aspects are essential to the success of decision making in business. Asking questions assists to clarify issues within the organization. One gets to increase his or her comprehension on the operation of an organization. Good listening enables business leaders to challenge assumptions held within their organizations. Through good listening, a business leader gets to filter and challenge all assumptions held within the organization. Good listening also enables the leaders to understand the various contexts of their interactions at the organization. Good listening offers the leaders an insight into the thinking of their varied set of employers from those at leadership positions to those holding regular jobs. Understanding this varied context of employees and work levels enables the leaders to make better choices that greatly increase the profitability of the business. Ferrari’s book can become of great use to professionals within the workplace. The world has become increasingly multidimensional and this implies that conversation can become held anywhere and with anyone. It is vital that one develops the skill of listening to assist him or her to navigate through the various conversations they become engaged in. good listening assists in making informed choices and it is vital that individual’s get to develop this skill. Good listening is critical in business, and especially for business leaders. Businesses offer leaders with the chance of managing a varied group of people. It is crucial that the leaders get to become good listeners to effectively manage the organization’s employees and ensure the success of the organizations. The book is highly practicable. It offers a guideline and the principles to good listening. The book will assist the reader to identify the traits of bad listening and the process of good listening. Ferrari offers a step by step guideline that can become followed by the reader to achieve the habit of good listening. The book can help one to identify what type of listener he or she is. Ferrari provides six examples of bad listeners as; the grouch, the opinionator, the perservator, the preamble, the pretender, and the answer man (Ferrari 142). From this category, one can determine what type of listener he or she is. He offers the guiding principles to how individuals can achieve active listening. Ferrari’s book also provides an insight on how to become a good listener by suggesting that one should follow the 80/20 rule where one keeps quiet and allows others to lead conversations. Ferrari’s book provides the reader with unique ideas about good listening. The book encourages the reader to practice the skill of good listening even though it comes about as a soft skill. It can also assist the reader to determine what type of listener he or she is. The 80/20 rule is also highly applicable as one can get to divert much attention to listening rather than talking (Ferrari 188)s. The book can also assist the reader to learn on the five questions that formulate the framework for effective and powerful listening. The book also gets filled with practical examples that assist the reader to relate to the skill of good listening. ‘Power Listening’ is a book by Bernard T Ferrari. The book provides detail on the benefits that good listening may offer to a business and its leaders. Good listening is essential in making informed and better decisions that lead to business success. The author details that good listening enhances clarity, greater efficiency, career length, and understanding the various contexts of interactions within the organization. These are essential to the success of a business. The author offers a step by step process into the habit of good listening, which directly assists the reader to develop this skill through the practicality of the procedures. The book is highly practical as it gets filled with relevant examples that allow the reader to relate to the content and apply it in the workplace. Works Cited Ferrari, Bernard T. Power Listening: Mastering the Most Critical Business Skill of All. New York: Penguin Group US, 2012. Print Read More