Are you listening?

Ken Blanchard has become a favorite of mine.
Why? He was to speak here on a Monday morning.
His plane couldn’t take off from Miami Sunday night.
Fog made takeoff impossible. That didn't stop him.
Ken and his wife hired a driver to take them to Columbia.
They slept as best they could in the back of the car.
Ken appeared unruffled Monday and did a great job.
He gave a six-hour seminar as if he slept all night.
The one-minute manager knew how to manage.
Would you ride all night to keep an appointment?
Ken is a great listener, speaker and trainer.
He was hired to fix a company's 200% turnover.
He asked to talk with those leaving the company.
Why do that? the president asked. They're all leaving.
Ken said, Well, it might help to know why.
The workers said the heat in their area reached 110.
They were completely exhausted at their shift's end.
They quit as soon as they could find another job.
He recommended upgrading the air conditioning.
The next year, turnover dropped to less than 10%.
"They thought I was a genius," Ken said.
His mother asked, "You’re paid for this kind of work?"
We talked with 9th graders about leadership last week.
They ranked listening as No. 3 in leadership skills.
Are you listening to others? What did you learn?
What did you do about it? You must take action, too.
To watch my Business Tip of the Week, please click here.