Listening Builds Trust

Listening is a fundamental skill of genuine success, and it’s hard to be great or trusted without it. The benefits of listening include more trust, better understanding, stronger marriages, happier kids, and increased respect at work. Still, being a good listener is hard work!
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Insincere Apologies Are Trust Killers

Expressing remorse without any real intent to change comes off as insulting or dismissive, like someone who always comes late to a meeting and says, “I’m sorry I’m late.” The likely truth is she never really intended to be on time. No one believes her apology, and so she is not trusted.
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Does Transparency Hurt Business?

I believe people want to know that those they respect and esteem are normal folks, just like they are. They want to know about their failures, their foibles, their unusual beliefs and interests.
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How to be a Clear Communicator

To the extent that one shares meaning with another, the two parties communicated. Anyone familiar with the academic side of communication can tell you, it’s very difficult for any two people, much less groups, to accurately convey meaning to one another.
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Great Leaders Take Responsibility

I have seen time and again how the committed take responsibility for their actions. In our high-litigation culture, there’s always someone else to blame. It can be easy to point the finger at suppliers, underlings, partners, and managers that just can’t seem to get things right.
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Characteristics of an Effective Team

Whether it’s a band, a sports franchise or a company, chemistry is what makes teams great. Much of modern business thinking is centered on understanding what makes great teams tick. More often than not, effective teams share the following five characteristics.
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Why Face-to-Face Networking Works Best

Because of my passion for networking—doing it, talking about it, teaching it, coaching it—I have lots of opportunities to chat with various people about how they view this important professional skill and how they go about growing their networks.
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