"A time that comes to mind is a couple of years ago when I was meeting with a customer of mine on the road. Leading up to the meeting that day in my car, I had several emergent situations come up with other customers and a backup at our warehouse that was causing delivery issues as well. When I pulled into the parking lot of the customer, it was important that I put those things aside to remain fully focused on the meeting ahead of me. In that meeting with the customer, they wanted to focus on some delivery issues we were having. By putting myself in their shoes and understanding how our delivery issues were affecting their production, I was better able to bring the issue back to our warehouse and delivery staff to fix the issue. By submerging myself in the moment and putting myself in the customers shoes, I was able to solve a major issue and not lose a great customer."

"As a Buyer for a large manufacturer currently, my listening skills are necessary to help ensure that our supplies are available to meet changes in demand that fluctuates from month to month and even week to week. I work very closely and have regular meetings with our Production Forecasting staff. In our meetings, I ensure that I am not distracted and focus on what projections are in the coming months. During the meeting, I ask follow-up questions for clarification when needed and also bring up any potential supplier issues that I'm aware of based on the projections they are talking about. My engagement in the meeting is vital and listening is a critical part of that engagement."