The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

WORKING AT RELATIONSHIPS / 109

Listening to stories

By listening analytically to a

person’s story, you may be able

to understand why they want to

work with you and what their

motivations are likely to be.

Stories also point to ways of

negotiating successfully with

individuals or companies, and

even indicate whether a joint

venture may succeed. Leaders

who fail to take full account of a

person’s or an organization’s

past thoughts, culture, actions,

and aspirations—as well as

what they observe in the present

moment—can find themselves

facing a culture clash they had

not anticipated.

LISTEN TO THE

SUBTEXT

Listen for recurrent patterns

in peoples’ stories. What

do they tell you about the

way they relate to others,

their modes of thinking,

biases, and barriers?

Tip

Do the stories place the

individual in a particular

role—hero, participant, or

victim, for example?

Are the stories explorative and

adventurous, or conservative, focused on

maintaining equilibrium?

Do the stories make or break

connections between things?

Are the stories mostly

set in the past, present,

or future?

Do the stories express

themselves in

protective jargon?

Do the stories

claim particular

skills for the

individual?

US_108-109_Working_at_relationships.indd 109 30/05/16 3:02 pm