Three steps to better listening

- I'll never forget the time…I went to a fast food restaurant…and ordered a guacamole veggie burger.…I'd seen it on the company's website…and thought, that looks good.…But when I got to the counter to order,…the person at the register…had never heard of the veggie burger,…so I explained what the burger had on it…and she let me go ahead with my crazy order.…Now, when I got my order, it had lettuce, a tomato slice,…and red onions, and on the side, a container of guacamole,…and no bun was included, mind you.…

I had the fixings for a burger, but no sandwich of any kind.…This employee heard some of my message,…but not the key point.…And she certainly didn't dig deeper with questions…or listen with the intent to find a solution.…Instead, she served me up a build it yourself burger.…And honestly, I can't say that I was surprised…because the whole time she was talking to me,…I felt she was distracted.…She didn't even make eye contact with me.…The point I'm getting at here is that too often…when we listen, we're really just making assumptions.…