Tweak Your Week: Use Both Ears

Tips, tricks and tweaks to help founders each week. Commit to trying one tweak each day for a week. Be your own guinea pig. You’ll be surprised what a difference these tiny experiments can make.

When you actually listen to people you learn things that your autopilot will miss. These gems could spark better thinking, sharper insights or relationship breakthroughs. Improving the quality of your listening lifts everyone’s game, starting with yours.

Good morning Upsiders!

A quick reminder this week about one of our favourite superpowers: listening.

Listening and hearing are not the same, and whenever we talk to someone it’s immediately clear if they are just waving their ears in our direction or actually engaging their listening superpowers. 

Good listening is vital for good relationships - in any context. When someone really listens, we tend to trust and respect them more. And when they do speak, their words have more weight. And of course, when you listen well, you always learn something new!

So, tweak this week by listening more and listening better. 

Here’s how to do it:

1. Avoid the temptation to jump ahead and “autofill” what you think is coming.

2. Listen to understand.

3. Listen to the whole person - not just their words.

4. Hold judgement at bay until you've really listened to what is being said.

5. Play back what you think you’ve heard to clarify. 

Make it easier by choosing one person - at home or at work - for each day of this week that you are going to actively listen to whenever you cross paths with them. Write their name down as a sort of “listening contract” with yourself. Then, every time you see that person on their allotted day, harness your superpower and turn that listening dial up to 11. 

Notice a difference?

Tell us how you go. Share your experiences - ‘mazing or meh - with the Upside community.

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We’re all a work in progress.

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