If you are a manager or supervisor of people, communication is the foundation of what you do. Unfortunately, many managers underestimate the value of the communication coming from the people below them in their organization—theirdirect reports.

Yet those at the bottom level of organizations—front-line workers—have a front-row seat to issues that arise on the most basic level for organizations. So why do managers so often fail to listen to their direct reports when it comes to proposing new ways of doing things that solve organizational problems?

Put briefly, thinking from the Industrial Age suggests that workers are just cogs in the machine, not thinkers with ideas that can be useful. Therefore, these front-line workers should do their jobs and keep their mouths shut. This thinking limits the possibilities for organizations to surface and solve problems that managers and those higher up in the organizations may not realize exist. Instead, managers should engage in a healthy dose of “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO) and tap into this hidden resource.

All it takes to do so is a simple communication skill: listening. Inviting your direct reports to share ideas and solutions with you and then truly listening can go a long way toward improving the whole company.

Here are the steps to excellent listening:

• First, get ready to listen. You must prepare yourself to put aside other concerns in your mind and open it to hearing what this person is trying to share with you.
• Second, pay attention! Remove yourself from any distractions–screens or anything else–and fully place your focus on your direct report.
• Third, control your biases. Forget that this person is “below you” on the food chain and imagine they are a highly-paid consultant who has closely analyzed your business.
• Fourth, separate fact from feeling. Recognize what can be observed (seen, touched, counted) as fact and what is a feeling or an evaluation by yourself or another person.
• Fifth, use paralanguage. Encourage the speaker with your non-verbal cues and your tone of voice as you respond to them.
• Finally, paraphrase back to the speaker. To make sure you have understood their meaning, from their point of view, rephrase back to them what you believe they have said. And then give them an opportunity to correct you if you have misunderstood.

Changing the way you view your direct reports can yield unexpected benefits and solutions to problems you didn’t even know were there. All it takes is careful attention to listening when an opportunity arises. Now,go forth and listen!

True confessions: I’m an introvert. I do not like talking to people I don’t know. However, I will be entirely unsuccessful in my profession if I do not meet new people.

For so many professions, meeting new people is crucial to success. And for people like me, networking is a dirty word. So, how can we make networking less painful and more doable?

Attending professional conferences provides an excellent opportunity to engage in networking. Here’s a template for networking at conferences even when it’s not your favorite:

The first step is to attend a panel, talk, or discussion and PAY ATTENTION. While listening, jot down some interesting ideas you hear the speakers sharing. Plan out what you will say based on the template below. When the session is over, choose one of the speakers, go to the front of the room, and start things up.

Start by introducing yourself briefly. For example, “Hello. I’m Cat Kingsley Westerman, and I am just getting into the short-term rental business with three properties.”

Then use HEC (Headline – Example – Comment).

Give them a headline:

H: “I found your comments on short-term rentals interesting.”

Then an example:

E: “That was a great story about the people who put thought into their interior design and had a 50% bump in occupancy.”

Then, a comment:

C: “I would like to know if I can have a similar effect by changing the exterior of my property.”

Finally, follow with a question:

“What are your thoughts on that? What other advice would you give to someone like me?”

Interactions like this demonstrate that you are smart and well-informed, make the speaker feel good, and create new connections with other smart people in your field. Set a goal for yourself for how many people you will meet at the conference and watch your network grow!