Consciously use active listening when you have a conversation with someone. What did it feel like? What were the consequences? How did the other person react? What did you like about it? What didn't you like about it?

Think about a time when you felt that you weren't listened to. Describe the situation, as well as the consequences. Describe how you may have contributed to the situation. What did you learn from the situation that can make you a better manager today?

Imagine that you have an employee named Pat Buonafeste. Pat is a supervisor in the customer service department of an on-line book retailer. You have heard from two of Pat's subordinates that the workload in Pat's area has been escalating over the past 2 months and that Pat is becoming increasingly stressed and difficult to work for. They also told you that Pat has been taking long lunches several times a week and leaving early every Friday. They said that they resent having to work so hard while Pat is taking extra time off. They are very responsible employees, yet they are threatening to leave the company and go work for a competitor if you don't solve the problem. You feel that you need to give Pat feedback on the employees' concerns. What will you say to Pat?

Observe a team meeting or classroom. Write down some of the conversation patterns that you observe. For example, who speaks most often, who interrupts most, who is most quiet, who gets taken most seriously, and how do people get themselves heard? Are any power dynamics being expressed through these communication patterns? What are the potential consequences of these patterns? If you were a communications consultant, what recommendations would you make to improve the performance of this team or classroom?

Imagine that you are a manager named Fran. While you were reading your e-mail today, you received a message from one of your subordinates. The employee sent the following message to a peer and inadvertently copied you: “Can you believe it? No wonder Chris didn't want to work here anymore. Fran really doesn't seem to know what's going on and just cannot leave well enough alone.” Would you tell your subordinate that you received and read the message? Why or why not? If you did decide to speak with her, what would you say? What else might you do to manage the situation?

Think about a story that gets told in your organization. What is the underlying message in the story? Are there other stories in the organization that support or contradict this message?

MIT Nobel Prize winner Robert Solow once said, “We see computers everywhere but in the productivity statistics.”^[115] Think about your organization's use of e-mail and the Internet. In what ways does the use of e-mail and the Internet add to your productivity? In what ways does it distract from your productivity? What can you do to make your own use of e-mail and the Internet more productive?

Many employees are using the Internet at work to shop, browse favorite Web sites (for example, on gardening or movie reviews), and send personal messages to their friends and family. Is this “cyberslacking” or “the equivalent of the millennium coffee break?” Why or why not? What if employees are using the organization's Internet to look for new jobs or promote their own businesses? Why or why not?