I get to ask a lot of questions throughout my week, talking to business owners and finding out ways to help them grow their business profits and increase their company’s value. If I’m not asking questions then I can’t find out what’s working and what’s not.

When it comes time to deliver some insights based on what I’ve heard, I need to ensure that the person in the conversation is in ready to receive mode. It’s easy to observe – when I start talking and don’t get interrupted then the other person is listening.  Sounds simple, right?

What I find with many private business owners and entrepreneurs is that they’ve forgotten how to listen and have become serial interrupters. It’s as if they’ve got their ipod on shuffle with only one tune in their playlist.

You can tell you are in the company of a ‘mind chatter’ entrepreneur because instead of them listening they are clipping you off mid-sentence. If you know any of these ‘mind chatter’ people then stay silent for as long as you can and you will observe that they are in fact talking to themselves.

To add tunes to their playlist I’ve got to find the ‘mind over matter’ questions and pithy insights. “I go alright”, as the Aussies say. How about your consultant?