July 21, 2017

225: Listening Skills for Startup Founders

In this episode of The Startup Chat, Steli and Hiten sit down for a candid conversation about listening. Like it or not, everyone (yes, even you) has a problem listening—especially company founders. Founders are notorious for having some of the worst listening skills out there. An inability to listen amongst company leaders is a big reason so many startups fail. Fortunately, listening can (like so many other skills) be learned Listen to Steli and Hiten to find out how…

Time Stamped Show Notes:

00:31 – Founders have a problem with listening

01:16 – A lot of curriculum in the world teaches speaking but not listening

01:45 – Customer intimacy and development is rooted in listening

02:18 – Founders apply the right techniques in getting feedback but don’t listen to it well enough to gain the insight they need

02:36 – Steli was in a conversation with a founder who created a smart phone

03:11 – They do not know who their customer is

04:02 – They convinced themselves that everybody loves their product

04:14 – Founders are so busy talking out loud or in their head they don’t create enough silence to listen

05:06 – Steli says there is a difference between YOUR solution and THEIR problem

05:34 – In the case of the smart phone, there are not a lot of obvious consumer problems right now

06:10 – But if you can be quiet enough to listen, you’ll see people are looking for fully encrypted phones

06:26 – Ask users what challenges they have regarding your products, services, or industry

06:44 – When asking for feedback, are you trying to LEARN or are you trying to PROVE YOURSELF RIGHT?—intention determines whether or not we are listening

07:16 – Your intention should be to learn whatever people have to teach you

07:30 – You have to understand there are different types of questions

08:03 – Are you asking leading questions?

08:31 – The better option is to ask open-ended questions

10:16 – Non-developers can learn a great deal from developers because they will ask you more questions about what you have told them

10:58 – When you do not have a follow-up question, that is an indication you are not listening enough

11:58 – You cannot have an inner dialogue if you are actually listening to someone

12:31 – Being a great listener is about being unselfish in the moment

13:33 – Ask yourself, who is the best listener you know

14:28 – Spend more time with them and observe what they are doing and the questions they are asking

15:13 – Hiten had to learn to listen by learning how to shut up in his head

16:22 – Because Hiten tends to be very reactive, he had to train himself to think about what the other person is saying and repeat it in his head

16:46 – When the person stops talking, that is when you can react

17:10 – Hiten looks at the person talking to help him not get distracted

17:42 – Hiten also listens for inflection points

18:03 – Use the meditation concept “be in the moment”

20:09 – Steli learned he has to give advice differently by listening

20:50 – Whereas he used to get frustrated when someone was not listening, Steli now sees it as a personal challenge to communicate more effectively.

21:35 – Invest in learning how to listen well

3 Key Points:

Being a great listener starts with intention. You should want to learn more from the person you are talking to.

Being a great listener is about being unselfish in the moment.

When talking to someone, shut up verbally and in your head. This is where they get to express their opinions, feelings, and insights—things you need to know if you want to be a successful, effective leader.

Steli Efti:

Hey, everyone. This is Steli Efti.

Hiten Shah:

And this is Hiten Shah,

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By Steli Efti & Hiten Shah: Serial Entrepreneurs, Sales & Marketing Experts, Startup Investors & Advisors, CEOs running multi million dollar SaaS Startups

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