Page 437 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

436 Part 4 • Leading
• Don’t overtalk. Most of us would rather speak our Practicing the Skill
own ideas than listen to what others say. Although Follow these directions:
talking might be more fun and silence might be uncom-
fortable, you can’t talk and listen at the same time. The Break into groups of two. This exercise is a debate. Person A
good active listener recognizes this fact and doesn’t can choose any contemporary issue. Some examples include
overtalk. business ethics, the value of unions, stiffer college grading pol-
icies, gun control, and money as a motivator. Person B then se-
• Make smooth transitions between the roles of speaker
and listener. In most work situations, you’re continu- lects a position on this issue. Person A must automatically take
ally shifting back and forth between the roles of speaker the counterposition. The debate is to proceed for 8–10 minutes,
and listener. The effective active listener makes transi- with only one catch. Before each speaks, he or she must first
tions smoothly from speaker to listener and back to summarize, in his or her own words and without notes, what
speaker. the other has said. If the summary doesn’t satisfy the speaker, it
must be corrected until it does.

Stone, Hartwick, and Mueller Experiential Exercise
Talent Management Associates
To: Chris Richards
From: Dana Gibson
Subject: Office gossip

I need some advice, Chris. As you know, my depart- is going to start spreading inaccurate information and then
ment and all its employees are being transferred from affect morale and productivity. What should I do now? Send
Los Angeles to Dallas. We’ve had to keep the information me your written response soon (confidential, please!) about
“under wraps” for competitive reasons. However, one of my what you would do.
employees asked me point blank yesterday about a rumor This fictionalized company and message were created for educational
she’s heard that this move is in the works. I didn’t answer purposes only, and not meant to reflect positively or negatively on manage-
her question directly. But I’m afraid that the office grapevine ment practices by any company that may share this name.

case applIcatIon 1
#

Social Benefit or Social Disaster?

weets. Twittering. Prior to 2006, the only definition we real-time search tool, and microblogging. And as the numbers
would have known for these words would have involved show, it’s become quite popular!
Tbirds and the sounds they make. Now, practically One place where Twitter has caught on is the sports
everyone knows that Twitter is also an online service—with world, especially in college sports. For instance, Mike Riley,
974 million registered users, head football coach at the
302 million monthly active us- University of Nebraska, uses
ers, 500 million tweets daily, The Good and the Bad Twitter to keep fans informed.
and 1.6 billion daily search of TWITTER He understands the power of
queries—used to trade short instant communication. Coach
messages of 140 characters or Hugh Freeze of the University
less via the Web, cell phones, of Mississippi was an early
56
and other devices. According to its founders (Jack Dorsey, adopter of social media to communicate recruitment news.
Biz Stone, and Evan Williams), Twitter is many things: a mes- He’s discovered that tweeting is an easy and fun way to com-
saging service, a customer-service tool to reach customers, a municate quick tidbits of information to fans, alumni boosters,