“Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood”: A habit to save time and boost productivity

As a business owner, you are constantly bombarded with new information, ideas, and tasks. It can be overwhelming to keep up with everything, and it’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day grind. However, there is a way to streamline your workload, save time, and improve your effectiveness: by embracing the habit of “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood” from Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

• In today’s fast-paced world, it’s tempting to jump into action, to solve problems and make decisions quickly. But this approach often leads to misunderstandings, miscommunication, and mistakes. When you take the time to listen, to understand the perspective of others, and to empathise with their needs and concerns, you can avoid these problems and build stronger, more productive relationships. To understand someone else, you must listen to them with an open mind and without distraction. This means putting away your phone, avoiding interruptions, and focusing on the person speaking. Repeat back what you have heard to show that you have truly understood their message.

• Don’t make assumptions. Ask open-ended questions to gain a deeper understanding of the other person’s perspective. This will not only help you understand their needs, but also show them that you value their opinion and care about their concerns.
• Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Try to see things from their perspective, and imagine how you would feel in their situation. This will help you understand their motivations, values, and goals, and will also build rapport and trust.
• Rushing to a solution or making decisions quickly may lead to mistakes and misunderstandings. Take the time to truly understand the other person and their perspective. This will ultimately lead to better, more informed decisions.

• Approach each interaction with an open mind, willing to consider new ideas and perspectives. This will lead to new insights and opportunities, and will also demonstrate to others that you are a trustworthy and collaborative partner.

Incorporating the habit of “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood” into your daily routine as a business owner can greatly improve your effectiveness, increase productivity, and ultimately save you time. It takes a concerted effort to create a new habit, but with practice and patience, you can make it a permanent part of your business practice and reap the benefits for years to come.

Who is ActionCOACH’s Business Coach Mark Dilks?

Mark Dilks is an accomplished business leader, experienced coach, mentor and business builder. He supports business owners, executives and teams across Milton Keynes, Bedford, Northampton, Luton & Dunstable in all aspects of building profitable high growth businesses; from start-up phase all the way through to maturity and divestment. No matter what challenges you are facing, Mark will invariably have encountered a similar situation previously and will be able to support you to quickly and efficiently overcome your business hurdles by sharing examples of how other business have solved similar problems that you are experiencing. He is motivated, driven, tenacious and is able to get the very best out of all the resources available to his clients and to ensure that the maximum results possible are achieved.