Business Leaders Ask, What’s Next? Begin by Listening

Business Leaders Ask, What’s Next? Begin by Listening… Doris Valade, The Malabar Group Inc.

As business leaders and owners, we knew what we needed As business leaders, we (hopefully) have the innate ability to see to do each day to keep the business moving forward: take opportunities where others may see only risks. Now is the time care of customers, keep production on schedule, monitor when you can stimulate business innovation by listening to what projects, lead the team and grow sales. Then came COVID-19. It your team has to say. What are their concerns? Their fears? Listen changed everything, our business lives and our personal lives. to their suggestions to improve how they work. What ideas do What we thought of as normal is gone. Uncertainly has become they have on how production can be done differently and better? part of every day, making it difficult to focus and stay on task. We How can you support a safe work environment so that your team may not even know what the tasks should be! We don’t know how can focus on what needs to be done? Just because you are leaders business will evolve over the next few months or through 2021. or business owners doesn’t mean you must have all the answers. We do know that things will be unpredictable. Going forward, Now is a great time to listen. Facilitate your team to be creative being a good listener will be crucial to our success. and have a positive impact on what your company does next. A term that often pops up in business articles today is ‘resilience’. also producing some great new ideas. We’re told that we need to build resilience in ourselves and Collaboration can be very effective in supporting your team while our business. Psychologists define resilience as the process of Listen to your customers. What are they asking for? What are adapting well in the face of adversity. So how do we ‘adapt well’ their concerns? Do you need to change how your product is when our confidence is shaken and we are all learning new ways packaged or shipped? Should you add a new product, suited to cope, work and play — we are now beginners in a changed to your customers’ current needs? Should you change your new world. Your team is looking to you for guidance, direction store hours, upgrade your website or online services? Ask your and support. So, what do you do? Where do you start? Begin by customer how you can help and then listen closely. Pay attention listening — to your team, to your customers and to respected to their critical comments as they can provide you with the best voices within your industry. ideas for change and improvement. Let them guide you toward new, innovative ways of doing business.

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Innovation and constructive change can “Of all the skills of leadership, listening is the most provide you and your company with a renewed purpose and a positive outlook valuable — and one of the least understood. Most on the future — as long as good listening is part of the plan. captains of industry listen only sometimes, and they remain ordinary leaders. But a few, the great ones, I’ve talked a lot about listening, but are you actually a good listener? According to never stop listening. That’s how they get word before an article in the Harvard Business Review, anyone else of unseen problems and opportunities.” “People’s appraisal of their listening ability is much like their assessment of their driving skills, ~ Peter Nulty, Fortune magazine in that the great bulk of adults think they’re About Doris Valade above average.” 1 As business leaders and owners, it’s important Doris has been involved in the meat and poultry industry for over that we know how to listen. In addition, “when situations lack 35 years. She has sat on the boards of Food & Beverage Ontario, analogies to the past, we have trouble envisioning how they will play out the Canadian Meat Council and the Canadian Spice Association. in the future.” 2 In my recommended reading below, I’ve included Doris has been included on the list of Profit magazine’s Top 100 a couple of interesting perspectives to help you during these Female Entrepreneurs from 1999 – 2005 and again in 2016. Meat uncertain times. and Poultry Ontario recently awarded Doris the Lifetime Member Recommended Reading: 1. What Great Listeners Actually Do, by Jack Zenger and Joseph Doris is a business and leadership coach supporting business

Folkman, Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org/2016/07/ owners and entrepreneurs to challenge, define and lead. You what-great-listeners-actually-do can request a free (no obligation) 15-minute phone call and 2. Learning for the Future (How can we formulate strategy in the conversation with Doris by sending her an email request: face of uncertainty?), J. Peter Scoblic, Harvard Business Review, doris@malabargroup.ca

July/August 2020 Issue

Award for her outstanding contribution to the industry. https://hbr.org/2020/07/emerging-from-the-crisis Doris Valade The Malabar Group Inc. 905.659.8473 doris@malabargroup.ca

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