What Does it Mean When You are Cut Off and Cannot Finish What You Were Saying?

Have you ever been talking and before you finish speaking the other person starts talking? Does it mean they were not listening to you, or they thought they all ready knew what you were going to say? Does it mean they think you do not know what you are talking about and want to set you on the right track?

Now as you have reflected on how that makes you feel, think about it, when you do it to someone else, be it a staff member or a tenant. I am of the mind if someone does not let me finish putting my idea out there; they are not listening.

Nothing is more frustrating than when someone is trying to communicate and they feel the receiver is not picking up on what is being said. We have all heard the saying, "God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason." I am a firm believer in this.

In my history as a paid employee in the position of property manager we had an organization moving in and we did not have enough housing, so I was tasked to get them housing. After doing my research, I saw that the new organization had overstated their requirements by almost 38 units. Since I had to enter into a contract for no less than one year with private property owners, I was concerned about 38 units sitting empty for one year. We had our second meeting, of which I was the low person in this room of heavy hitters and was asked the status of filling the requirement, and I said we were at 100% based on my study and we had x number of units. I was adding to it and was cut off by the new organization leaders, and they said that I was not at 100% because I had not gotten all of the units that I was commissioned to get. I had my matrix which I was preparing to put up and I was told by the regional vice president to get the numbers they stated were needed, and if I could not make it happen to speak up now. I said I can do it, but... (and that is where I was told there are no buts, make it happen). I went back to my office and got the other 38 units under contract.

Just as I had said, the other 38 units were not needed, and so for one year those units had to be paid for and was a waste of money. The RVP came to me and asked how could I be so negligent to contract and have to pay for 38 vacant units? I said I tried to tell him and he would not listen and shut me down and told me to do it. He said he did no such thing and trusted my opinion and had I told him no, he would have never let it happen.

Well, I had witnesses in the meeting who came to my defense that I had tried, but was shut down. Here is where we get to hearing the person out before making a call to ensure you have all the facts to make and informed decision.

So, it was a costly lesson for my employer, and it cost the RVP his job. I am not happy that he lost his job, but he should have listened more than he talked. That also further enforced in me to make sure I did more listening than talking to ensure that I had the full story, as well as to ask questions if there was some element that I was not clear on.  $444,600.00 is an expensive lesson to learn for not listening.

The new RVP that came in was a listener and the operation ran so much smoother because he was. He also was good about asking questioins to ensure he had the right understanding. I learned a lot under his leadership and I even crashed and burned one time, but he knew that it was not because I did not get all of my information right, but that is another story for another time with a different point to be made!