steve kwan user experience designer

How to kill a company

(November 30th, 2006 - 11:52PM)

It's easy. If you want to kill a company, don't listen.

I don't pretend to be a business expert or genius, but I've witnessed people far smarter than me get themselves into lots of trouble by disobeying the advice above.

When you want people on your side, you must listen. Listen to your customers and prospects, because you're ultimately serving them. And listen to your staff, because you'll achieve much more by pooling your expertise. And you'll keep them on your team, too.

"Listen" is hardly world-class advice. But it's amazing how people toss it out the window when they're in leadership positions. I'm done justifying my point, because it mostly speaks for itself. If you can't figure out why listening is important, then there's really no point in me trying to convince you otherwise.

The next time someone you work with brings you an idea or grievance, I highly recommend listening to him. And by that I don't mean shutting up and letting him talk. I mean actually absorbing and understanding what he's saying, acknowledging the value of his input, and - here's the most important part - acting on it. Take that person's advice, determine its value, and put it into action where it's useful. Thank the person for his great input. You'll be amazed at the difference.