Standard Office Procedures

There are many different ways to listen to someone, but not all are equally as effective. Active listening is the foundation to all positive, productive communication — but there is a time and place for passive listening too.

So what exactly is the difference?

Passive listening occurs whenever someone’s speaking to you while you’re distracted, either by your phone, a task, or just your own thoughts. Active listening, on the other hand, means the speaker has your undivided attention.

Active listening comes naturally to some more than others, but it's a soft skill — meaning, you can exercise those listening muscles and get better by practicing.

This week, Grace and Shannon talk about how to improve your active listening skills and why it's so important, how to determine when it's okay to passively listen, and when you should be giving someone your full attention.

Read the article that inspired this episode on the blog at BlueSummitSupplies.com.

Connect with Blue Summit Supplies for more helpful professional development content on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Listen to all episodes of the Standard Office Procedures podcast and reach out to us to be featured on the podcast or offer feedback by emailing [email protected]

Every group and every team is made up of individuals with differing opinions and worldviews. And conflict is a natural outcome of these teams coming together to problem solve, make decisions, and achieve consensus. So how do you deal with it effectively? Well, there isn’t one perfect way to deal with conflict, as not every conflict we face is exactly the same. So, it comes down to choosing the right style for each situation, and knowing when to switch it up.Grace and Shannon talk through each of the 5 different conflict styles, which personalities have a tendency towards certain styles, and how important it is to change your conflict style according to each situation. Read the article that inspired this episode on the blog at BlueSummitSupplies.com.Connect with Blue Summit Supplies for more helpful professional development content on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen to all episodes of the Standard Office Procedures podcast and reach out to us to be featured on the podcast or offer feedback by emailing [email protected]

Making good and rational decisions enhances all areas of our work and personal life, helping us prioritize, reach our goals, and choose the best path. Without healthy decision making skills, we are slaves to our own desires for instant gratification or to procrastinate. So how do we go about making these healthy decisions instead of the wrong ones?This week, Grace and Shannon break down the different ways we can improve our decision making skills — first, by understanding what is inside (and outside) our circle of control, and second, by leveraging the information and resources we have at our disposal to make the best decision for each situation. Read the article that inspired this episode on the blog at BlueSummitSupplies.com.Connect with Blue Summit Supplies for more helpful professional development content on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen to all episodes of the Standard Office Procedures podcast and reach out to us to be featured on the podcast or offer feedback by emailing [email protected]

If you manage a team or run a business, you know that delegating isn’t easy. Can you really trust important tasks to anyone other than yourself? The answer is a resounding YES! No one can can do it all completely by themselves — that's why the success of your business endeavors depends on a dedicated team of people, all working towards the same goal.This week on the podcast, Grace and Shannon take an in-depth look at the process of delegation in the workplace, how trust and clarity are imperative to making it successful, and how it can empower your team to learn, grow, and do their best.Our CEO, Owen, makes a guest appearance at the end of the show to talk about his first approach to delegating as a boss and a business owner, what he learned from changing his process, and how effective it became for his team and for himself.Read the article that inspired this episode on the blog at BlueSummitSupplies.com.Connect with Blue Summit Supplies for more helpful professional development content on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen to all episodes of the Standard Office Procedures podcast and reach out to us to be featured on the podcast or offer feedback by emailing [email protected]

On the latter half of this two part episode, we take a different approach to organization. Laurie Palau, founder of Simply B Organized, joins Grace and Shannon to shed light on how to declutter and streamline your life — all based on your Enneagram type.

Laurie shares her insight and expertise as a professional organizer, breaking down what each Enneagram type is, how each type tends to accumulate clutter in their life, and what they can do to reorganize and eradicate that clutter.

Laurie's website is chock full of incredible resources on organization, not the least of which are her podcast, This ORGANIZED Life, and her book, Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized.

You can register for Laurie's Enneagram and Clutter Course on her website, or follow the Instagram account exclusively dedicated to this course. You can also connect with Laurie on Facebook, on her main Instagram account, or via email.

If you want to know even more about the Enneagram, dive into our articles about this personality test and how to use it to better understand yourself, your boss and your coworkers.

Connect with Blue Summit Supplies for more helpful professional development content on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Listen to all episodes of the Standard Office Procedures podcast and reach out to us to be featured on the podcast or offer feedback by emailing [email protected]!

Do you want to become more efficient, accomplish more during the day, and gain more time for leisure and balance? It's all about organization. This week, listen in as Grace and Shannon break down 10 actionable strategies that you can implement to become more organized in both your work and personal life.  Organizing and planning your day — with tools like the Full Focus Planner and Asana — will not only help you remember what work needs to be done, but help you to prioritize what’s most important, keep up with deadlines, and show up on time. Read the article that inspired this episode on the blog at BlueSummitSupplies.com. Connect with Blue Summit Supplies for more helpful professional development content on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen to all episodes of the Standard Office Procedures podcast and reach out to us to be featured on the podcast or offer feedback by emailing [email protected]!

New to the world of business or sales? You might be drowning in the alphabet soup of acronyms. It’s easy to fall prey to the problem of ‘I’m not sure what that means, but it’s way too late to ask,’ especially with questions like ‘what is B2B sales?’If that’s the case, don’t sweat – we’ve got you covered.This week, Shannon and Grace define some of the most common workplace acronyms as well as some obscure ones, and our guest Blair shares some anecdotal wisdom regarding his experience with acronyms.Read the article that inspired this episode on the blog and download our free printable acronym cheat sheet at BlueSummitSupplies.com.Connect with Blue Summit Supplies for more helpful professional development content on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen to all episodes of the Standard Office Procedures podcast and reach out to us to be featured on the podcast or offer feedback by emailing [email protected]!

Is too much downtime at work draining you? Don’t know what to do at work when there’s nothing to do? Are you on a quest for how to stay entertained at work? We’ve got good news: there are plenty of ways to do it! This week, Shannon and Grace discuss how to make the most of a boring job and ways to maximize your time (and skills) no matter where you are.Read the article that inspired this episode on the blog at BlueSummitSupplies.com. Connect with Blue Summit Supplies for more helpful professional development content on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen to all episodes of the Standard Office Procedures podcast and reach out to us to be featured on the podcast or offer feedback by emailing [email protected]!

Being extroverted or introverted does not refer to a person’s personality as much as it refers to how they recharge and process information. Introverts typically find alone time the best way to recharge while extroverts derive their energy from spending time with other people. This week, Shannon and Grace discuss how to best work with those coworkers who may not be like us - specifically, how to work better together depending on if your colleague is an introvert or an extrovert. Read the article that inspired this episode on the blog at BlueSummitSupplies.com. Connect with Blue Summit Supplies for more helpful professional development content on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen to all episodes of the Standard Office Procedures podcast and reach out to us to be featured on the podcast or offer feedback by emailing [email protected]!

Starting your own freelancing career is no small feat, especially when you have very little to no experience. So how do you do it - and succeed?This week, Grace and Shannon share advice on how to start freelancing with no experience, including types of freelancing jobs, how to get jobs as a contractor, and tools that will advance your freelancing career.Plus, we have an awesome guest in Melody Tholstrup of My Size Marketing who has lived this topic intimately and offers some excellent firsthand advice. Melody has worked in the marketing industry for 30 years and served the last 10 as a Marketing Coach & Trainer where she's experienced herself and coached clients through the ins and outs of freelancing.Find Melody on Instagram at @mysizemarketing and visit her website, My Size Marketing.Read the article that inspired this episode on the blog at BlueSummitSupplies.com. Connect with Blue Summit Supplies for more helpful professional development content on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen to all episodes of the Standard Office Procedures podcast - and reach out to us to be featured on the podcast or offer feedback by emailing [email protected]!