Financial Times

Are you a reader or a listener?
By Nilooka Dissanayake
The answer to the above question is far from obvious. According to Peter F. Drucker, even US Presidents have failed big time as a result of not recognizing this simple distinction.

The subject and its relevance is not confined to management. It is a matter of success and failure in life and applies to all spheres of human endeavor where communication and learning is involved. At school, at home, in intimate relationships or casual, and at work; especially at work.

Which is probably why, in his latest book, Management Challenges for the 21st Century, Peter F Drucker, deals with it at length. Drucker touches upon it in a chapter titled Managing Oneself. As business people and entrepreneurs, we need to manage ourselves first before we begin to manage our enterprises.

He believes that we need to ask ourselves a few basic questions before we get down to managing ourselves effectively. They refer to finding out who we are, what our strengths are and how we work.

We must also ask where we belong in this complicated world and then figure out what our contribution to the world should be because it is not so simple as it may have been in the times of our grandparents. How you learn and whether you are a listener or reader comes as a natural part of finding your strengths and weaknesses so that you can work at improving your personal performance and the performance of your team.

Whether you are a Reader or a Listener relates to your preferred way of absorbing information. I came across a similar concept in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) workshops where they ask you to recognize how you want to be loved. Do you like to see it in writing? Do you like to be told in words or do you like to see love demonstrated by being kissed and hugged or with gifts and tokens? Not understanding your preferred style and that of your significant loved ones can wreak havoc in a relationship.

Imagine if your spouse likes to hear you say "I love you" and all you do is bring her gifts and give hugs and kisses. She will feel neglected and you will be puzzled to no end as to why she does not appreciate all the love you shower upon her? Yes, understanding these preferences matter a lot.

It is equally important in worklife and in managing yourself and others. John F. Kennedy knew he was a reader. So he got a brilliant group of writers to compile reports on all matters of importance and read them before he discussed anything.

When he was killed, Lyndon B Johnson, who became the President, retained all those writers around him and continued to work the way Kennedy had done. He did not know that, unlike Kennedy, he was a Listener. Drucker claims that Johnson destroyed his Presidency in large measure a few years later mainly due to this reason.

Not knowing your own style and that of your teammates can wreak havoc in the workplace. If you prefer to be told things because you are a listener and all you get are reports and reports and more reports, you are done for. That is unless you recognize your weakness and try to do something about it.

On the other hand, think of giving instructions to an employee. She may be a reader. So no amount of talking will really help while a short memo would serve the purpose much more effectively.

Yes, like most people, you will say that in the workplace you have neither the time nor the patience to think of such niceties. They are not niceties. These are facts of life for your workplace productivity.

Unless you recognize these attributes and preferences in yourself, your bosses, subordinates and workmates, you are caught in a cycle of unproductive behaviour. Don't take my word for it. Try to imagine why Peter F. Drucker, the Management Guru of the 20th century and so far in the 21st speaks so much about it. It is all about productivity. Anyone, a person, business, any other organization, a nation is doomed without it.

Recognising work habits are the nuts and bolts of achieving productivity. Send in your comments to ft@sundaytimes.wnl.lk or call on 5-552524. The writer is the Managing Editor of Athwela Vyaparika Sangarawa (Athwela Business Journal), the only Sinhala management monthly targeting the small and medium sized business operators.

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