We have been discussing the critical importance of recruiting great people (read Part 1, Part 2), no matter if you lead a small sales team, a charity, a sports team or if you are the leader of a big enterprise. Organizations with the best people win. Get good at recruiting. In this installment I’d like to give away one of the greatest strategies on how to get people to tell you how to sell them. This is by not selling, but asking. Not by talking, but by listening. People will tell you what is important to them, what they are looking for in life, what their hopes, dreams and aspirations are—if you let them. But one thing is for sure: You won’t learn this by moving your mouth. The question acronym outline I use to this day is FORM: F=Family and Friends O=Occupation R=Recreation M=Money and Meaning Recruiting Script Example A conversation might go something like this (O): “What do you do?” Whatever their answer, my response is, “Oh, you must LOVE that!” People are contrarians by nature, if you suggest they must love it, then they will tell you everything they hate about it. If you would have said, “Oh, that sounds tough or terrible.” They will then tell you everything the like about it.So even if they tell you what they don’t like, ask, “What aspects of it do you like?” They are there for a reason, there is some value or need it is filling, it is important to discover that. Then ask, “What are some of the things you like the least or wish were different or you could change?” Now they will tell you all their needs, wishes and desires. Then if we are on the business conversation I will jump to M and say, “Well you must make a ton of money doing that.” They will now tell you what? Yes, all their financial dissatisfaction.I’ll follow up, “Is this something you always wanted to do; was it an aspiration since you were young?” 99 times out of 100 it isn’t. Then I ask, “What was it you wanted to do when you were young...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

In February, 2009, I asked people on Twitter where the cool kids were staying in New York City these days (rumor has it that there are more than one hotel there). The first person to answer me was Chris Kieff. The second to answer me was Brett Petersel from Mashable. The third person to answer me was the Roger Smith Hotel, who said I should drop by—they have a blogger's special. And so began one of my favorite case studies in the use of listening tools in social media, and part of the reason I shared the importance of growing bigger ears with you. Let me explain what happened. Listening for Business Brian Simpson and Adam Wallace work for an interesting man. James Knowles never does things by half measures, and he's all about the creative experiment. One of these experiments was...

Contrary to what many might think (and many practice), the most important job of a leader is not to speak, preach, direct or advise.... The most important job of a leader is to listen. In a recent interview I did with management guru Tom Peters, he revealed the four most important words in business leadership are “What do you think?” Tom said listening should be a leader’s full-time profession. They should be the professional gatherer of input, ideas, feedback, opinion, perspective and personal experience in order to make informed, well-thought-through leadership decisions. Richard Branson once said to me, “If you are a good leader, you are a good listener.” This is true for everyone in every aspect of life, but it’s one of the most neglected skills I observe every day. I am always fascinated by how poorly people listen. There are many ways people invalidate and hurt their relations with others by their lack of listening skill. Here are a few... The Offenders. These people are the worst. They make it clear you are... CLICK HERE TO READ REST OF POST

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Contrary to what many might think (and many practice), the most important job of a leader is not to speak, preach, direct or advise.... The most important job of a leader is to listen. In a recent interview I did with management guru Tom Peters, he revealed the four most important words in business leadership are Post from: SUCCESS magazine Blog People who read this also read...The Art of Chitchat I hate chitchat. Hate it. I know I am probably (not probably, definitely am)...Hardy: It Doesn’t Just Happen Last week my wife “crossed over.” She closed the door to her 30s and...Hardy: Life Isn’t All Great I did a keynote presentation for a great company last week called Ingram Micro,...

There I sat, listening to a business friend who had not received the promotion that he had hoped and worked for. He was obviously disappointed and seriously considering a move to a different organization. He made it clear that the person the board had chosen was not qualified to lead. In fact, my friend was positive [...] Post from: SUCCESS magazine Blog People who read this also read...The Five Laws of Personal Constraints by Guest Blogger Flip Flippen The Five Laws of Personal Constraints by Guest Blogger Flip Flippen There’s a reason...Flippen: You Can Learn a Lot While Standing in Sewage One of the most defining behaviors of consistent high performers that we study such...The Advantage of Being Quiet I couldn’t believe he wouldn’t stop talking. I had been in his office...

I couldn’t believe he wouldn’t stop talking. I had been in his office for a full 45 minutes, and he had not stopped once to ask anyone else’s thoughts or to even get a response. Finally, the meeting came to a close and I had the fortunate or unfortunate opportunity to meet with him one [...] Post from: SUCCESS magazine Blog People who read this also read...Flip Flippen: Separate Great Leaders from Typical Leaders There I sat, listening to a business friend who had not received the...Part 3: Finding Your Unique Advantage [NOTE: YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THE CHALLENGE AT DARRENHARDY.SUCCESS.COM IN ORDER TO RECEIVE LINKS...Creating Safety in Your Organization Did you know that when people feel safe, they perform better? Have you ever...