Patricia Feager and Lew Corcoran have volunteered to host the July challenge on how things may have changed over the years. This is my second entry for the month of July.
Among my bad traits when I was younger, and still present from time to time these days, is a lack of patience. And my everything must happen now attitude left me with the wrong answer or most times not with the best answer to solve a problem. I was very reactive.
The years move on and I gain some experience in the business world. I learn to ask questions, although not as many as I should have in the early days. Admittedly, I revert from time to time to that behavior from time to time these days.
As reaction turned to more of ask many questions and reflect a bit before you act I found my problem solving abilities improve. Then I attended a seminar by Stephen Covey. He was promoting his "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". One of the seven habits was "seek first to understand, then to be understood".
It caused me to ponder how to approach problems and develop the best solution. I was slow to adapt and ask more questions but improved as time went on. As I became more of a follower of the habit I found myself asking questions, staying calm and reflecting on the best solution. Others also noticed and I quickly became a sounding board. The more I was approached the more I learned how to ask questions and probe for more detail. The more detail, the better I understood.
Today, I ask questions to learn more and often use the "tell me more" probing question. Yep, I am a work in progress even at my ripe age.
Because I am a work in progress I must constantly ask myself when I am in the process of solving a problem "Am I reacting or reflecting?.
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