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| Source: Omdur on sxc.hu |
First we talked about the learning curve when understanding
the five work principles you should know about and then we talked about observingyour environment. The second principle has
to do with what you say.
The second work principle you should know about is
Listen, listen, and listen, before you speak!
At the beginning of a new job the only time you should be
speaking is to ask questions or when you are asked a question. Otherwise, you should be listening. You should listen to everything.
Of course, that’s not to say that you should eavesdrop on
people’s conversations but everything else you should listen to very
carefully. Even conversations that don’t
seem important can reveal a lot about the office that you are working in. It can tell you things like who are the
leaders and who are the followers and who is running the show. Logic says it should be the boss that is
running show but that’s not always the case.
If you come across some interesting observations write down
what you’ve seen or heard. It may come
in handy later. Of course, you want to
make sure that anything you write down is kept confidential so don’t keep your
notes on the company computer. Your cell
phone might be a good place to write down some notes or just a notepad that you
keep in your purse or your business bag.
If you are truly listening, you will soon find out the best
way to initiate conversations. You’ll be
more prepared and less likely to offend people.
