First, Listen Properly.
Reading Masaru Sakurai's "First, Listen Properly." reminded me of my time working as a store manager in the food service industry. As a store manager, you are constantly a hub for information, and while you listen to the opinions of staff and customers, there are many situations where you must make difficult decisions. However, looking back on that act of "listening," the question arises: "Was I really listening properly?"
The true meaning of "listening properly"
When working in the food service industry, you tend to focus only on "results" because you are chased by daily tasks. Handling complaints, managing staff shifts, achieving sales targets... When I think about whether I was able to notice the true intentions and feelings behind the other person's words during these tasks, I lack confidence.
The attitude of "believing in positive intent and listening" that Sakurai emphasizes in this book is something I keenly realize was the part most lacking in me at the time. On the front lines, there were many situations where I had to provide answers to staff opinions immediately, and I often sought "solutions" before trying to understand the other person's true intentions. I have finally come to understand the importance of accepting the "positive intent" behind their words and actions through my current work as a career consultant.
The balance between "listening" and "conveying"
Not limited to the food service industry, the role of a store manager or leader requires both "listening" and "conveying." As Sakurai states, things do not move forward just by listening. Sometimes, it is necessary to organize the flow of the workplace by providing feedback or instructions to staff.
Perhaps I was struggling with the balance between "listening" and "conveying" back then. While respecting the opinions of the staff, I had to give strict instructions to achieve results. Reading Sakurai's book made me realize that in such a dilemma, the act of "listening" had become somewhat superficial. As a career consultant, I feel that how to properly use "conveying" and "listening" in dialogues with clients is an important skill I learned from that experience.
Also "listening properly" to oneself
When I was busy working in the food service industry, I was chased by daily tasks and didn't even have the leeway to listen to my own feelings. Through this book, I learned again the importance of "listening properly to oneself as well." Feeling responsible for staff and customers and ignoring my own voice can potentially have a negative impact on the entire team as a result.
I strongly felt that as a career consultant, understanding myself and clarifying my own intentions leads to high-quality support for clients. Sakurai's words resonate with both my past self and my current self. I would like to convey the importance of listening to one's inner self to clients who are in a transitional period of their careers.
Message
Reading "First, Listen Properly." makes me feel as if my past and present have been connected by a single line. If I had been able to "listen properly" more to staff, customers, and myself on the front lines of the food service industry, the results might have been different. However, as a career consultant, I have come to be able to convey the true meaning of "listening" to clients, based on that experience.
I would like to continue to cherish the attitude of listening as a "way of being" that I learned through this book. And I hope that this book reaches everyone working in the food service industry, and that they can revitalize their workplaces through better dialogue.