Think First Talk Last

"If you spend all your energy on your immediate reaction you won't have enough energy left for your long term solution." Doe Zantamata

Something most people would probably disagree with but have you ever stopped to consider to think first & talk last. Most people would say that this will leave you behind and you'll miss opportunities yes in some cases this would happen however we need to learn to adapt our reactionary response and judge the room before we speak. There is a strong difference in mind management and characteristics between those who can listen and those who can't. I find that with the majority of in depth conversations I have it is clear to see if the person is interested in what you are saying, a lot of this is based on them asking questions and keeping eye contact with you. Now think about when someone is explaining something to you, do you sit a listen and take mental notes and speak when needed or are you inside your head thinking about what you are going to say and not taking on board what the other person is saying?

You need to understand that at times it is better to sit and just simply listen to what others are saying, allow people to grow in confidence around you and express themselves, from this not only will you be learning more but people will also be comfortable coming to you in the future for further possibilities and your networking skills will only improve. If you read my posts and take time to understand what I'm saying then you have already started to take this on board, you probably have a similar mindset or are looking to improve on how you currently face issues and day to day problems. With this in mind you take away what you read and you add your opinion or mindset to what I have spoken about this then creates a chain reaction of thoughts and process just by listening to others you have already taken a step in the right direction of being a better listening and acting upon the reaction in a manner that others will appreciate instead of butting or taking charge first.

Now in no way am I saying to do this all the time, there is a time and place for you to be heard, having a balanced reactionary response will gain more respect then being the person who always wants to speak first. How many times as an employee have you had an idea but your manager or boss has spoken first and you feel embarrassed or ashamed to bring your opinion or idea to the table and you simply become another follower instead of speaking out. When you are on the rise and whatever your goal or ambition is you need to be heard, you need to be seen as the person who is acting upon things and standing out from the crowd but at the same time keeping that balanced mindset. You need to take all the things people don't like about the boss and work that into your workflow, everything they do that pisses you off or creates an atmosphere in the workplace be the opposite and develop on the skills that they lack, be the person in the workplace that the team can come to for solutions or to simply talk...all of this can be done by simply thinking first & talking last.

Tierneys Top Tip- Observation, Listening & Reacting are the 3 fundamental skills to teach yourself right now in order to become a balanced reactionary.

Thanks

T.