How often do we go beyond?

I share my musical recordings with a good friend who gives his perception, feedback and suggestions for improvement for every song that I share. Recently, as part of his assessment, he said quote "wanna see you fly high in this arena, and because you are clever, articulate and immensely talented a singer". unquote

I obviously didn't have any problmes about being called 'immensely talented' and 'articulate' but I wasn't clear about the 'clever' part. I could have left it at that assuming he meant 'intelligent' but instead asked him "clever? me?".

He responded immediately quote "Yes, other than for its cliche use, I meant it in the context of how you can quickly internalize music of any genre and language, and render it aa authentically as possible. And also to mention that it helps you adapt and assimilate with any fan crowd, North or South" unquote.

This share was not to trumpet my musical talents but on the need for us to go beyond an initial response to know what the other person really meant. I wouldn't have got his perspective of my ability to internalize unless I had asked him that speciic question.

Again, this post was triggered by a conversation I had with a professional contact after she complimented me about my previous article on 'preparedness'.

On an earlier occassion when we had met, she had asked me on how she can get more clients without huge marketing budgets and I gave her a simple exercise to do with her existing clients. So when I reminded her about that during this recent interaction, she said "I asked a few clients and one said I like your team".

I said "That is a very positive response but what specifically did your client like about your team?" and she responded "I didn't ask him that".

While its good to know that your team is a key to your success, unless you know what aspect of your team is making the impression, you would not be able to leverage it during your conversation with other prospects.

So the next time you get a response that seems like the top layer of an onion, make sure you peel it and ask for the other person to elaborate. It will do you a lot of good and also make the other person feel important because you value his words.

Thank you both, my musical friend and my professional contact, for contributing to this short article, albeit inadvertently

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The Author is the Principal Consultant with Idea To IPO Growth Consultants