The secret of success is to know how to listen

Listen, listen and (one more time) listen. It is there that lies the secret of success and good tenure. The opinion belongs to Tom Peters, specialist and author of In Search of Excellence. "Companies don't do bad because they don't dominate equations, but simply because they don't listen." It is necessary to listen to employees, clients and suppliers", said Peters while lecturing in Brazil this Friday.

Mainly in an epoch of crisis, this ability becomes more fundamental. According to him, not only executives are the ones who talk more than hear, a conception that is generalized among our society. A good example are doctors, who, according to researches, interrupt their patients usually after the first 18 seconds of a visit. "And who would be the best resource to speak of your sickness?"

"Nobody disagrees that listening is one of the most fundamental characteristic in business, but nobody does it. I met a few business schools and even companies who actually teach it. The four most important words for any company are: 'What do you think?'".

Peter recalls the difference between hearing and listening. "When you speak, everybody listens, simply because you are the boss", says P. "Execution. Companies tend to worry too much about planning. They think that is the plan is right, the execution will do well, which is not true. I would say that is the execution is right, the plan is makes no difference. Both things are true, but the second is closer to reality."

Human Capital
Known for valuing the role of his employees within big organizations, Peter speaks of human capital. "People matter. If everyone understood this, we would not had been in this situation. Nine in ten times, GE's business's don't fail because they don't have good engines, but because of a series of mistakes in human relations."

P. assumes the point-of-view that professionals want to belong to something bigger and seek, in the corporate world, develop themselves. Companies, on the other hand, invest in that. "When developing employees, companies could serve clients better. And it is for that that they exist, to serve. Leaders, as well, live to serve."

Economic Engine
Always polemic, Peter provokes, attacking big corporations and praising the power of small and mid-sized companies, since "big ones offer us nothing. Small and mid corps. are the ones that truly move the economy. It is not GM", says. "What we need are entrepreneurs. We need to stop thinking about the which company should we copy now."