Truly Listen

In business, we're taught to listen to our customers. Not only listen to them, but also ask clarifying questions. My suggestion is to do this in your marriage or family relationships too.

For business we ask clarifying questions such as:  What do you mean by that? How would that look? How would the product or the service be for you to want to buy or for you to want to have this as a customer?

Well, that's really a huge thing in a marriage relationship too. You need to communicate and listen. I would even go so far as to say that for my wife and I, we have classified listening as loving.

Here are a few things we've learned about listening in 40+ years of marriage:

• Listen to the other person deeply.
• Really hear what they are saying.
• Repeat their words back to them to make sure you understood what was said.
• Listen not to respond but to hear what they are really saying and meaning.

These listening skills create a great marriage.

In business when you sign a contract to deliver a service or product, you're going to do everything you can to deliver that product or service in the best way. Your word is your bond.

We can flip that around and relate it to your marriage. Meaning, you go into your marriage with your word as your bond. Your commitment is actually lining up and delivering the best of yourself to your spouse just like it would in a business contract.

We all have strengths and weaknesses. But, what we find is people that have a great marriage can take and apply some of these same skills in their business to create a great customer experience too. 

If people that have a great business will in turn apply all their great listening skills, customer service and caring into their marriage or into their relationships and/or family, it will produce great results there too.

It's a win-win.

The same fundamentals of listening works in both your business and your marriage or family relationships.

How are you listening skills these days?

Scott