One Small Step Serves as Good Reminder to Listen First

As the Chamber continues a focus on taking steps to build trust and transform our community, we asked some local businesspeople how participation in the One Small Step project has influenced them as business leaders.

Steve Dixon is president and CEO of P.B. Hoidale Co., Inc., a 2022 Small Business Awards finalist. 

Why did you decide to participate in a conversation?

After attending the Chamber Chair’s lunch earlier in the year and learning more about the One Small Step program I was interested in finding out more about the program and the work they were doing to bring communities together through short discussions. Our Wichita community is really starting to come together and work on large scale community issues collectively and the One Small Step program is one tool we can use to continue the positive momentum. I believe that as citizens we share common interests in having a thriving and vibrant community and these discussions help to reinforce that idea.

How did you feel before and after the conversation?

I was interested in how the program would pair me with someone, I have a very conservative viewpoint when it comes to finances but have a moderate to liberal social side. The prospect of having a conversation with someone who looks at the world a little differently really fed into my desire to learn and gain other perspectives about our community.

After the conversation I walked away happy and thankful for being given the opportunity to meet someone new and learn a little bit about them and their view of the world around them.

What did you take away from the conversation?

My largest takeaway was the commonality of interests we had in wanting to help make our community better. While we did not agree completely on the methodology to reach the end goal, we did agree that a stronger community with better opportunities for everyone is what we want to work towards. Having the neutral space to have the conversation and be able to ask exploratory follow up questions gave me the opportunity to get a deeper understanding about my partners world view and how they looked at life.

How are you implementing what you learned in your workplace and in your work relationships?

Coming from a sales background, I was taught we were created with two ears and one mouth for a reason, that listening was the fastest way to figure out what someone needed and what they cared about. The process of One Small Step really reinforced this idea by creating space and time to pause and take in what my partner was saying before trying to process an immediate answer. In the workplace I am trying to be more patient and listen better before thinking about my next question or producing an answer for the person I am working with. It also helped me to remember to pause and spend a little time trying to understand the world view of the person I am working with and see situations from their point of view before producing my own solutions.

What encouragement would you give to other businesspeople who are considering participating in the OSS conversations?

One of the challenges in business is to be constantly evolving the business and changing how we look at the marketplace. The One Small Step process is a terrific way to remind yourself about the importance of seeking out input from others before coming to a conclusion about an opportunity or issue you are working on. It proved to me that we do not have to always agree on the tactical side of a plan. If we agree on the strategic goal and work together, we will make progress.

You can learn more about One Small Step, and how to participate right here.