Shelter’s Edge

Welcome back guest blogger Dave Betournay, Director, ASPCA Community Initiatives. Dave asks some tough questions about how we, as animal welfare professionals, are using our listening skills with staff, volunteers, donors and adopters.

I find myself saying the word “listen” a lot. I say it to my kids, I say it in different ways to my coworkers and partners, and I say it to myself. I believe in listening, clearly I do, but listening is hard. It takes patience and practice and is something that most, if not all, of us could be better at.

I was reminded of this on a recent flight, as I was reading a short article by Jay Heinrichs, author of the best-selling Thank You for Arguing. It was the article’s simple and direct message that struck me.

Heinrichs caught my attention when he quoted Saint Augustine’s simple phrase: Audi Partem Alteram (Hear the other side).

Hear the other side. Four words that strike right to the point. We are best served if don’t just listen but better still hear the other side, really hear it.

I am sure all of us can think of those times large and small when people did not hear the other side. Hearing to me implies more than just recognizing the sound and absorbing information. It means acknowledging that there are “other sides,” and understanding that people do not need to be agreed with in order to be respected.

Good listeners are out there. Likely already ahead of the curve, they probably have better relationships with those around them. Possibly they are more productive and certainly they can understand people more because they listen.

Shelters and animal welfare organizations in general can gauge their level of success by their ability to hear. Do coworkers hear each other and take time to understand each other’s needs? Crazy at it is, it could lead to greater job satisfaction and higher employee retention. Do you hear your donors and understand their reasons for giving or not giving? Do you hear your volunteers when they try telling you what is working or what is not? And do you hear the person surrendering their animal when they try to tell you why they need to give that animal up? What a radical thought—caring to know why people chose to give to you, hearing not only what is happening within your organization but from those who choose to donate their time, energy and compassion.

And then there are those “despicable,” “irresponsible,” and “unlovable” souls who dare do exactly what we ask and surrender their animals to us rather than hoard, neglect or abandon them…

Are you saying we should trouble ourselves to hear these people, too?

Yes. Yes, I am. I am suggesting that listening to these folks is the only way we will understand how they came to this place, how we will understand how to help them never come to this place again, how we will learn how to help others never come to this point in the first place. Before you pick up that stone, take a good look around. Look for the glass. Not sure about you, but I have made mistakes, many of them, and near as I can tell I am not done yet. With luck and maybe an open mind I might just hear the answer I am looking for.

This guy's all ears

So reach just a little further. Try to understand even when you do not agree, try to respect even when you do not approve. Try it. Go out and try to hear someone, anyone, and see if there is a palate of colors, textures, meanings and knowledge that was not there before. Now, just imagine the potential in that.

Tags: shelter management, customer service, listening, learning

Related links:
Better Communications
Learning as a Management Strategy
Forget Customer Service

Photo 1: Kai-Huei Yau

Tags: customer service, Dave Betournay, learning, listening, shelter management

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